What were the most popular names in the middle ages?

Answer 1

Gothic Names

Short Treatise on Anglo-Norman Personal Names

It is a common misconception that medieval English naming practices centred on a relatively small number of personal names. While this is indeed true for the later medieval period, the Anglo-Norman period (which lasted from the Conquest on down to the beginning of the fourteenth century or so) provided a much larger variety of available and relatively common personal names. While certain of these were more popular than others, they did not dominate naming practices to the extent that names such as John, Thomas, Richard, and William for guys and Anne, Elizabeth, Cecily, and Margaret for girls did in later centuries. Furthermore, the popular names in the 13th century did not necessarily maintain their popularity in later years. The male names Roger and Simon and the female names Juliana and Matilda are good examples of this; while none of these names dropped completely out of use (though Matilda nearly did), they became far less frequent in later centuries after rivaling the Williams, Richards, Cecilys and Joans for popularity in the Anglo-Norman period.

You will notice the popularity of saints' and Biblical names for both sexes. Names of great leaders or heroes (Constantine, Alexander, etc) seem to have also been used for males, though not as frequently as saints' names. Women's names pose a few problems. When the names were rendered into Latin in charters, often they were changed to make them fit the language. You will note that many of the femine names end in "a", which is merely the most common nominative feminine ending. Whether these names all actually ended in "a" is another matter, but it is clear that in many cases one may substitute "e" for "(i)a" and still have just as valid a name: Felicia => Felice; Amicia => Amice (and later, Amy), etc.

I will not say much about surnames except to note the two most common forms. The first was used mostly by the upper classes and was originally a place-name describing where the family lived: de Quincy = "of Quincy", de Montfort = "of Montfort", etc. As families grew and migrated, many of these lost their place-meanings and simply evolved into family names. The other common type of surname was the occupational name or descriptive name: for instance: le Ferrier = "the smith", "Draper" = "The draper",etc. Anglo-Norman occupational names evolved right alongside English ones; neither was completely dominant. Eventually these, too, lost their original meanings and became merely surnames. A look through a book of documents will give you a host of different possible surnames.

The names given here are taken from four collections of legal documents from around England:

• Cartulary of Blyth Priory, R.T. Timson, ed. (London: HMSO, 1973) DA 670 N9B5
• Feet of Fines for Essex, R.E.G. Kirk, ed. (Colchester: Wiles and Son, 1899) DA 670 E7A12
• Feet of Fines for Somerset: Richard I-Edward I, E. Green, ed. (London: Harrison and Sons, 1892) DA 670 S49S5
• Warwickshire Feet of Fines v. I E. Stokes and F.C. Wellstood, eds. (London: Oxford University Press, 1932) DA 670 W3 D9 v.11

Men's Names

• Adam
• Ailwin
• Alan
• Alard
• Aldred
• Alexander
• Alured
• Amaury
• Amalric
• Anselm
• Arnald
• Asa
• Aubrey
• Baldric
• Baldwin
• Bartholomew
• Bennet
• Bertram

• Blacwin
• Colin
• Constantine
• David
• Edwin
• Elias
• Helyas
• Engeram
• Ernald
• Eustace
• Fabian
• Fordwin
• Forwin
• Fulk
• Gamel
• Geoffrey*
• Gerard
• Gervase

• Gilbert
• Giles
• Gladwin
• Godwin
• Guy
• Hamo
• Hamond
• Harding
• Henry*
• Herlewin
• Hervey
• Hugh
• James
• Jocelin
• John
• Jordan
• Lawrence
• Leofwin

• Luke
• Martin
• Masci
• Matthew
• Maurice
• Michael
• Nigel
• Odo
• Oliva
• Osbert
• Norman
• Nicholas
• Peter*
• Philip
• Ralf/Ralph*
• Ranulf
• Richard*
• Robert*

• Roger*
• Saer
• Samer
• Savaric
• Silvester
• Simon*
• Stephan
• Terric
• Terry/Thierry
• Theobald
• Thomas*
• Thurstan
• Umfrey
• Waleran
• Walter
• Warin
• William*
• Wimarc
• Ymbert

Women's Names

• Ada
• Adelina
• Agnes*
• Albreda
• Aldith
• Aldusa
• Alice*
• Alina
• Amanda
• Amice/Amicia*
• Amiria
• Anabel
• Annora
• Ascilia
• Avelina
• Avoca

• Avice
• Beatrice
• Basilea
• Bela
• Berta
• Celestria
• Christian(a)*
• Cicely/Cecilia*
• Clarice
• Constance
• Dionisia/Denise
• Edith
• Ellen/Eleanor
• Elizabeth
• Emma
• Estrilda
• Isabel*

• Eva
• Felicia
• Fina
• Goda
• Golda
• Grecia
• Gundrea
• Gundred
• Gunnora
• Haunild
• Hawisa*
• Helen/Elena
• Helewise
• Hilda
• Ida
• Idonea

• Isolda
• Joan(na)*
• Julian(a)*
• Katherine
• Leticia/Lettice
• Liecia
• Linota
• Lora/Laura
• Lucia Mabel/Amabilia
• Malota
• Margaret
• Margery*
• Marsilia
• Mary
• Matilda/Maud
• Mazelina

• Millicent
• Muriel
• Nesta
• Nicola(a)
• Philippa
• Parnel/Petronilla
• Primeveire
• Richenda
• Richolda
• Roesia
• Sabina
• Sabelina
• Sarah
• Susanna
• Sybil(la)*
• Wymarc

*denotes most common names

Answer 2

Here are some medieval names for boy i found on the internet

• Ulric
• Tybalt
• Borin
• Sadon
• Terrowin
• Rowan
• Forthwind
• Althalos
• Fendrel
• Brom
• Hadrian
• Lord Crewe
• Walter De Bolbec
• Earl of Derwintwater
• Lord Montagu
• Sir John Fenwick of Wallington
• Oliver Cromwell
• Justice McKinnon
• Sir Clifton Writingham
• Walter deGrey
• Roger de Mowbray
• Joseph Rowntree
• Geoffrey Chaucer
• William of Wykeham
• Francis Drake
• Simon de Montfort
• John of Gaunt
• William of Orange
• Lord Cornwallis
• Edmund Cartwright
• Charles the Bald
• Benedict
• Gregory
• Peter
• Henry
• Frederick
• Walter
• Thomas
• Arthur
• Bryce
• Donald
• Leofrick

=)

Answer 3

Names came from the jobs and places where people lived and worked. A good example of a person whose name shows where his family lived is Leonardo da vinci ( he is much later, but will do as an example) Vinci is the town in Italy where his family was from. First and last names weren't used in the middle ages ( this came much later) it was usually Robin of Lockley or something along that line. It didn't matter so much. People could read or write so they didn't sign contracts.

Answer 4

Medieval times are also called the middle ages.

Answer 5

jamal, tyrone, hadib