IMC 2011: Sessions

Session 1623: Rich Names, Poor Names: Social and Ethnic Status and Naming Patterns in the Middle Ages

Thursday 14 July 2011, 11.15-12.45

Organiser:	Sara L. Uckelman, Tilburg Center for Logic & Philosophy of Science, Tillburg University
Moderator/Chair:	Chris Lewis, Department of History, King's College London / Institute of Historical Research, University of London
Paper 1623-a	Wealth and Names in 15th-Century Tuscany (Language: English) Julia Smith, Department of Geography & Anthropology, Eastern Washington University Index terms: Anthropology, Genealogy and Prosopography, Onomastics
Paper 1623-b	Personal Names and Ethnic Identity in 12th-Century Cumbria (Language: English) William Cook, Department of History, Lancaster University Index terms: Anthropology, Genealogy and Prosopography, Geography and Settlement Studies, Onomastics
Paper 1623-c	The Rise of the Middle Class: Inherited Bynames in Early 14th-Century London (Language: English) Sara L. Uckelman, Tilburg Center for Logic & Philosophy of Science, Tillburg University Index terms: Demography, Genealogy and Prosopography, Onomastics
Abstract	Onomastics, the study of names and naming practice, has long provided a useful window into cultural behaviour, including differences in wealth, power, and social standing, as well as the expression of ethnicity. This session explores the relationships between social and ethnic status and naming patterns in three areas and periods of medieval Europe. Questions which we address include: * How did the names of poor people differ from the names of rich people? * How did naming patterns disperse from the metropolitan centres into the countryside? * How do names express differences in wealth and power? * How do names reflect differences in ethnic/cultural allegiance? * What shifts in names and naming practices can we see as people rise in social rank or accommodate themselves to changing ethnic/cultural patterns?