Choosing a name for yourself in the SCA is one of those things that gets a lot of attention. After all, you want people to know you AS someone, right? At first, you might just choose a very simple name, or use your real name but "medievaled up". That's largely how I started, using Alisoun instead of Allyson, because it fit my persona at the time (a 13th century Scottish servant).
It likely would have been easy to register Alisoun. I picked its spelling from a site online that was approved by the SCA College of Heralds. But the name "Allyson" doesn't really have a Viking alternative (or at least, not one I liked). That left me wondering... who was I? How would I pick a name that fit me, and that I'd remember, and could both pronounce AND spell?
I turned to my family names. Where "Allyson" is my own name, I had two others I liked. The first was Agnes, but I knew what I wanted to do with that name (Sister Agnes is a 14th century Welsh nun, my third persona). That left Edith, my grandmother's name. She just passed away, Christmas 2015, and I wanted to honor her. After researching the name, I discovered a Scandinavian version of it: Edgithe.
So where do YOU start when choosing an SCA name? It largely depends on whether you "simply" want to be known as that name, or whether you want to actually register it. For some, just having a name you like, that fits you, and that's comfortable is what matters. On the other hand, not having a registered name means that any scrolls you receive are not guaranteed to be done the way you want them.
Registering your name takes time and effort on your part, and is usually done with the help of your local Herald. In the case of Stonemarche, that would be Daithi Dubh or myself (he is Principle Herald, and I am deputy herald, his "second"). Heralds, as a general group, have access to a variety of books and website that help them help you. We also have the rules set out by the College of Heralds, which can be somewhat complex, but make sense in the long run.
It is my strong belief that the single most important thing about your name is that you like it. If you don't like it, you won't use it. You won't hear it ring in your heart when someone calls it out during court, or on the battlefield, or at a feast. You need to find something that sounds and feels right, so that it truly embodies you.
If you are the type of person who lives and breathes Historical Accuracy, you can also start by looking at the appropriate literature and research material for your chosen time and place. I knew I wanted something related to Edith, but didn't mind if it was significantly changed along the line. The idea was to honor my grandmother, not necessarily copy her, and so if it was unrecognizable to others as her name, I was okay with that. So I went looking at the etymology (the history of the name/word itself) of 'Edith' and followed it back in time to find a Scandinavian or Norse version. I was lucky enough to find adequate information in some of the sources the SCA considers blue ribbon, and simply moved on from there.
If you know that you want a specific culture or time period, you could spend time poring through the various historically accurate names until you find one that sounds good to you. This is one way of assuring yourself that your name will be relatively easy to register. Our heraldic rules are contained in a document called SENA: The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory, and they can be found online here. If you page down to Appendix A, you will find links to a variety of name websites that are considered acceptable documentation on their own. When you choose a name listed at St. Gabriel, Ellipsis, Medieval Scotland, our own heraldry lists, Viking Answer Lady, and a few other places (all listed in the above website), you need only show the name, that it is being rendered correctly for the time and place you want it for, and that it is grammatically correct. Your proof comes from the websites themselves, plus information from SENA.
In East Kingdom, you can submit your name and device registration on your own, but not all Kingdoms allow that. Please check with your own Kingdom's rules before submitting paperwork. Regardless, we always suggest that you consult with a herald before submitting paperwork, as they can help you by checking your documentation, making suggestions, and reaching out to other heralds with expertise in the various cultures and eras in question. Heraldry is, as we so often say, a group sport. We help one another, and thereby learn to be better heralds!
If the name you really want is not something that can be registered, you always have the option of not registering. Name and device registration are akin to entering an A&S competition for one. The level of research required is similar to that required of people entering a piece for competition, and you must provide the correct documentation. If you feel a need to register despite not finding the supporting documents for your chosen name, you can also choose an appropriate name and then use your chosen one as your nickname. There are scrolls out there that read, "Lord So-and-So, known locally as Other Name".
Historic accuracy is important in the SCA, but it is not worth being miserable over. Make your best attempt, work with a good herald to do all the needed research, and find a name that makes you smile with pride every time you hear it. If it passes and is registered, you have done A&S level research, and you win the lovely prize of being known by your name in the Society for all time!
It likely would have been easy to register Alisoun. I picked its spelling from a site online that was approved by the SCA College of Heralds. But the name "Allyson" doesn't really have a Viking alternative (or at least, not one I liked). That left me wondering... who was I? How would I pick a name that fit me, and that I'd remember, and could both pronounce AND spell?
I turned to my family names. Where "Allyson" is my own name, I had two others I liked. The first was Agnes, but I knew what I wanted to do with that name (Sister Agnes is a 14th century Welsh nun, my third persona). That left Edith, my grandmother's name. She just passed away, Christmas 2015, and I wanted to honor her. After researching the name, I discovered a Scandinavian version of it: Edgithe.
So where do YOU start when choosing an SCA name? It largely depends on whether you "simply" want to be known as that name, or whether you want to actually register it. For some, just having a name you like, that fits you, and that's comfortable is what matters. On the other hand, not having a registered name means that any scrolls you receive are not guaranteed to be done the way you want them.
Registering your name takes time and effort on your part, and is usually done with the help of your local Herald. In the case of Stonemarche, that would be Daithi Dubh or myself (he is Principle Herald, and I am deputy herald, his "second"). Heralds, as a general group, have access to a variety of books and website that help them help you. We also have the rules set out by the College of Heralds, which can be somewhat complex, but make sense in the long run.
It is my strong belief that the single most important thing about your name is that you like it. If you don't like it, you won't use it. You won't hear it ring in your heart when someone calls it out during court, or on the battlefield, or at a feast. You need to find something that sounds and feels right, so that it truly embodies you.
If you are the type of person who lives and breathes Historical Accuracy, you can also start by looking at the appropriate literature and research material for your chosen time and place. I knew I wanted something related to Edith, but didn't mind if it was significantly changed along the line. The idea was to honor my grandmother, not necessarily copy her, and so if it was unrecognizable to others as her name, I was okay with that. So I went looking at the etymology (the history of the name/word itself) of 'Edith' and followed it back in time to find a Scandinavian or Norse version. I was lucky enough to find adequate information in some of the sources the SCA considers blue ribbon, and simply moved on from there.
If you know that you want a specific culture or time period, you could spend time poring through the various historically accurate names until you find one that sounds good to you. This is one way of assuring yourself that your name will be relatively easy to register. Our heraldic rules are contained in a document called SENA: The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory, and they can be found online here. If you page down to Appendix A, you will find links to a variety of name websites that are considered acceptable documentation on their own. When you choose a name listed at St. Gabriel, Ellipsis, Medieval Scotland, our own heraldry lists, Viking Answer Lady, and a few other places (all listed in the above website), you need only show the name, that it is being rendered correctly for the time and place you want it for, and that it is grammatically correct. Your proof comes from the websites themselves, plus information from SENA.
In East Kingdom, you can submit your name and device registration on your own, but not all Kingdoms allow that. Please check with your own Kingdom's rules before submitting paperwork. Regardless, we always suggest that you consult with a herald before submitting paperwork, as they can help you by checking your documentation, making suggestions, and reaching out to other heralds with expertise in the various cultures and eras in question. Heraldry is, as we so often say, a group sport. We help one another, and thereby learn to be better heralds!
If the name you really want is not something that can be registered, you always have the option of not registering. Name and device registration are akin to entering an A&S competition for one. The level of research required is similar to that required of people entering a piece for competition, and you must provide the correct documentation. If you feel a need to register despite not finding the supporting documents for your chosen name, you can also choose an appropriate name and then use your chosen one as your nickname. There are scrolls out there that read, "Lord So-and-So, known locally as Other Name".
Historic accuracy is important in the SCA, but it is not worth being miserable over. Make your best attempt, work with a good herald to do all the needed research, and find a name that makes you smile with pride every time you hear it. If it passes and is registered, you have done A&S level research, and you win the lovely prize of being known by your name in the Society for all time!