A 16th Century Lord...

What a great new forum! I can see myself getting some use out of this.

I’m writing a tacky historical romance and need a name for the closest acquaintance of the hero, who’s name is [name]Lord[/name] [name]William[/name] [name]Wyndham[/name]. This man is a lord, but has always been a bit in the shadow of his more handsome friend. He is a man of principle who always tries to do the “proper” thing, although in the end he breaks the rules to ensure [name]William[/name]'s happiness. He has brown hair, a large nose and a kind smile, but is always very stiff and upright. I’m trying to decide between the following names, which are all historically accurate to 16th century [name]England[/name].

[name]Lord[/name] [name]Nicholas[/name] Gainsford
[name]Lord[/name] [name]Robert[/name] Gainsford
[name]Lord[/name] [name]Edward[/name] Gainsford
[name]Lord[/name] [name]Edmund[/name] Gainsford
[name]Lord[/name] [name]Anthony[/name] Gainsford
[name]Lord[/name] [name]Bernard[/name] Gainsford
[name]Lord[/name] [name]Gerard[/name] Gainsford

In public he’ll be known as [name]Lord[/name] Gainsford or just Gainsford. I’m leaning toward [name]Edward[/name] or [name]Edmund[/name], so [name]William[/name] might be able to use the familiar name [name]Ned[/name] when addressing him in private, but I also love [name]Bernard[/name] and [name]Gerard[/name] as nice contrasts to the VERY common [name]William[/name]. Anyone’s opinions on which names would suit this character would be much appreciated!

And just as a side note, I came across the wonderful surname Daundelyon while researching this. I googled it and it doesn’t seem to come up as a modern surname. I wonder when it was lost? I might have to put it aside for future research, as it would be a great name for a comedic character. :slight_smile:

I like [name]Lord[/name] [name]Edmund[/name] the most! Awesome names btw!

Hello! I love the name suggestions you have up there! Most are historically accurate. My favorite is [name]Lord[/name] [name]Bernard[/name]. In private, the hero could call him [name]Bernie[/name]! I find them all very interesting, and I like them alot. Have you considered [name]Richard[/name] or [name]Arthur[/name]? I wish you luck!

  • [name]Athena[/name]

Thanks for your replies!

suzannevk - Thanks for your help! I think [name]Edmund[/name] might be the front runner!

aj_bear - Thank you! I also like [name]Bernard[/name], and I think it might be a close second behind [name]Edmund[/name]. And [name]Bernie[/name] is a great nn. [name]Richard[/name] and [name]Arthur[/name] are already going to other characters, but thanks for your suggestions. Out of interest, are there any names here that you find to be historically naccurate? I’d love to know because there’s only a few good sources on names prior to the Elizabethan period so I need all the help I can get!

I know that about 70% of men were called a small handful of names at the time, but for the sake of clarity and interest I’d like to stay away from duplicating any, or using names of very famous real people at the time ([name]Henry[/name], for example). I don’t know if anyone here watched the Tudors at all, but keeping track of which [name]Thomas[/name] was which was a bit of a nightmare even for me, and I already know the period quite well…

I’m no historian, but I’m not sure how popular [name]Anthony[/name] was in the Elizabethan age. I do know however that a name that was popular for some time was [name]Lettice[/name], for a girl. I really wish I was kidding!
Good luck!
[name]Athena[/name]

If he’s a lord, then he was probably the first son (unless his dad is a duke). Maybe the second, if there was an older brother who died. Either way, he would probably end up named after his father or an uncle, and less common names like [name]Bernard[/name] or [name]Gerard[/name] would be more likely to be found among the younger brothers. [name]Edward[/name] works, but it might be a little bit too staid… I’d go for [name]Edmund[/name], it lets you use the nickname but isn’t quite as ubiquitous as [name]William[/name] or [name]Edward[/name].

Thanks Calou! That’s great advice, and something that hadn’t occurred to me. I think you’ve definitely tipped the scales towards [name]Edmund[/name]. :slight_smile:

My vote is with [name]Edmund[/name]. [name]Edmund[/name] definitely sounds like the man you’ve described. Good luck with your writing!

I agree with agirlinred! [name]Edmund[/name] is my vote! Sounds very royal to me.

Thanks agirlinred and nicole_1024! I think [name]Edmund[/name] is definitely the one. Now I just have to get around to actually writing it. :stuck_out_tongue:

I agree with just about everyone here: [name]Edmund[/name] fits the bill here very well.