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ArchivesCatalan and Vasco
I have a few questions about the mediaeval first name Catalan and the name Vasco.
I was doing research on the House of Grimaldi, the royal family of Monaco and I noticed that there is a man named Catalan on the Grimaldi family tree. Apparently he was the father of Claudine, Lady of Monaco who was born in 1451. I’m curious because I’ve only ever heard the word “Catalan” being used to designate ethnic Catalonians. Did the mediaeval name indicate someone of Catalan ancestry or does it have a different origin? Is Catalan still in use as a given name? Was the usage of ethnic designations as first names (such as Catalan and Francis or Frank meaning "French") widespread in the Middle Ages?
I noticed that there is a name Vasco, which means “Basque” in Spanish, though the BtN description says “From the medieval Spanish name Velasco which possibly meant "crow" in Basque”. Is this true or was the name Vasco given in reference to the Basque people?
I was doing research on the House of Grimaldi, the royal family of Monaco and I noticed that there is a man named Catalan on the Grimaldi family tree. Apparently he was the father of Claudine, Lady of Monaco who was born in 1451. I’m curious because I’ve only ever heard the word “Catalan” being used to designate ethnic Catalonians. Did the mediaeval name indicate someone of Catalan ancestry or does it have a different origin? Is Catalan still in use as a given name? Was the usage of ethnic designations as first names (such as Catalan and Francis or Frank meaning "French") widespread in the Middle Ages?
I noticed that there is a name Vasco, which means “Basque” in Spanish, though the BtN description says “From the medieval Spanish name Velasco which possibly meant "crow" in Basque”. Is this true or was the name Vasco given in reference to the Basque people?
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