Gaelic Naming Customs

Gaelic Naming Customs BIFHSGO (http://www.bifhsgo.ca/eventListings.php?nm=127) Gaelic Naming Customs – Saturday, February 8, 9:00 am to 9:30 am, Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario. Opener Mochthrath mhath! Ciamar a tha sibh (thu)? Tha mi gu math, tapadh leat/leibh. A bheil gàidhlig agaibh? Chan eil gàidhlig agam gu leòr! Tha mi ga dh’ionnsachadh. Dè an t’ainm a th’ort/oirbh? Is mise Raibeart MacDhòmhnaill. Tha mi toilichte gur fhaicinn. First Gaelic heard? I will explain later Introduction – Bob McDonald – blurb says will discuss Gaelic naming customs and their relation to the Gaelic language, the oldest literary language in Northern Europe and once widely spoken in Canada. (Slide) Outline: Introduction to Gaelic – grammar and spelling conventions Why? What’s the point of knowing about Gaelic? What would you like from this talk? Gaelic names – place, personal, family names. Student, out of practice – mistakes in spelling, grammar, accents Why learn about Gaelic? How many Irish ancestors? Scottish? Manx? A third of Canadians' ancestors hailed from Ireland and Scotland where they were part of a Gaelic-speaking civilisation that extended throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. This Gaelic heritage is reflected in names which start with Mac, Mc, O’, Mul or Kil and many that don’t – many that may appear to be English (Gaelic name hidden behind). Family history – may never have to deal with Gaelic documents (use banned for all official purposes) but you will miss a lot if you don’t have some understanding of the language and of the historical context – lot of bad information out there – more nonsense per line of type written about Scottish and Irish names than names in any other language because writers don’t know Gaelic language and history. I’m available here to answer all of those questions that may have been dying to ask, questions people often ask me, such as: What’s the difference between Gaelic and Celtic? Or is it a Keltic? And why all those names staring with Mac, or Mc, and which is right? And what about all those Irish names that start with O. And what is a clan or a sept, and what does it has to do with tartans and bagpipes and tossing hammers and telephones poles? So now I’m going to give you all your first Gaelic lesson. (Slide) Gaelic lesson – Gàidhlig albanach (Scottish Gaelic, ‘the Gallic’) Madainn mhath. (Canaibh a-rithist.) Ciamar a tha thu? Tha mi gu math, tapadh leat/leibh. Ciamar a tha sibh fhèin? Glé mhath. Dè an t’ainm a th’ort/oirbh? Is mise Raibeart MacDhòmhnaill. A bheil gàidhlig agaibh? Chan eil gàidhlig agam gu leòr! Tha mi ga dh’ionnsachadh. Characteristics: word order – noun/ adjective; verb / subject / object 2 forms of the verb to “to be” fusion of prepositions and pronouns (as in Latin or Russian); N.B. consonant mutation – occurs in no other indo-european/aryan language (Slide) Consonant mutation (lenition – ‘thinning’) mathair/mo mhathair); dùin an uinneag/dhùin mi an uinneag – note word order as well; Breton examples : tad (father) → ma zad (my father), karr (car) → ar c’harr (the car) More common in Scottish than in Irish Gaelic: Ciamar a tha thu? Conas atá tú? Mac Dhòmhnaill Mac Domhnaill (Slide) Consonant mutations, lenition: sounds of bh/mh=v, w; ch, dh/gh = gh or y, fh=0, ph=f, sh/ th=h Similarity of Scottish and Irish. Differences in grammar; vocabulary is almost identical, but differences in pronunciation / accent, and shifts in meaning: Dog is cù in Scottish, but cú in Irish means hound (Cuchullain, Connamara) . Generic word for dog in Irish is madra; however, Scottish also has madadh in madadh-ruadh, meaning fox (which is also sionnach) and madadh-allaidh meaning wolf (also faol). Tree is usually craobh in Scottish, crann in Irish; but crann also occurs in Scottish, usually in the sense of timber; craobh means twig in Irish. (Slide) Celtic languages / celt or kelt? Gaelic is a celtic language, a branch of the indo-european (Aryan) language family, which we will talk about later Some people pronounce it ‘Keltic’; some justification – it’s from the Greek ‘keltos’ – Latin ‘celtus’; ‘c’ pronounced ‘hard’ in Latin, as in Gaelic or Old English; in modern English, due to French influenc e, ‘c’ is pronounced ‘s’ before front vowel (e, i, y) There are 4 Celtic languages nowadays : Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) – c. 355 000 mother tongue or fluent; but 1,860,000 know it more or less well) Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) – 60 000 Welsh (Cymraeg) – 750 000 Breton (Brezhoneg) – c. 300 000 now; 1.3 million in 1930). There were others not so long ago: Manx Gaelic or Manx (Gailck) spoken on Isle of Man; last native speaker died in 1974; and Cornish (Kernewek), spoken in Cornwall in SW England until the 18th century (last speaker is said dot have died in 1777. Attempts to revive; no longer living languages in use in real communities. (Diapo 5) Watch your P’s and Q‘s Modern Celtic languages divided into 2 categories – P and Q languages. The Q (Gaelic /Goïdelic) have a ‘k’ sound where the P languages (British /Brythonic) have a ‘p’ sound ( diapos : pen/ceann, pemp/coig, exemple historique – pritani /cruithni); Other differences – Gaelic more conservative Nouns are declined like in Latin or Russian (4 cas : nominatif-accusatif, génitif, datif, vocatif – discussed later); people still count in twenties (scores) as in French but moreso – 4 twenties and 10; also twenty and 14; no words for “yes” or “no”. (Diapo 6) There were many other Celtic languages. What’s a Celt? speaker of Celtic language, branch of the huge (Indo-European or Aryan language family; mounted warriors from Central Asia or Ukraine who spread all over Europe and South Asia in prehistoric times Family branches includes Indian (Sanscrit and Hindi, etc.), Persian (Farsi, Kurd), Armenian, Slavic (Russian, etc.), Baltic (Latvian), Greek, Italic (Latin and Romance), Germanic (English). Also imposed patriarchy on agricultural societies with more balanced sexual balance of power. (Diapo 7) Celts Established in Central Europe (c. -700 à -500 bc) – expanded to control at peak of power ( -300 à -200) swath of territory from Galatia to Galicia – Ireland, Po Valley (Gallia cisalpina) and Balkans; threatened Romans and Greeks Survived in British Isles – on the continent, Celtic survived only in Armorica – pockets (Galicia, Alps and Balkans) into Middle Ages (maybe). Southern Britain incorporated by the Romans – left in 410 a.d. and Germanic tribes (Anglo-Saxons) moved in, often invited by British rulers, and slowly took over. English language influenced – use of is and do as verb auxilliaries. British language gradually disappeared, except in Wales and Cornwall. Some refugees to Brittany (Galicia?). Gaels and Picts never conquered by Romans or Anglo-Saxons, expanded after fall of Rome (Diapo 8) Gaëls – Origin and Expansion Now to Ireland and the Gaels – where from? According to traditional history and mythology – from Galicia. Il y a d’autre évidence à l’appui – archéologique et linguistique. Il y en a qui disent que la langue celtique de la Galice, qui a survécu jusqu’au Moyen âge, serait une langue Q, comme le gaélique. (Diapo 9) Monde celtique, c. 500 Les Gaëls en tout cas, ont conquis l’Irlande, soumettant les peuples britonniques qui y était déjà établis (y compris ceux qu’ils appelaient les cruithni – les Pictes). Aucune unité politique – divisé en royaumes, chefferies. Le concept d’ « ard ri » mais rare qu’un seul roi exercé le pouvoir sur out l’île. (Diapo 10) St Patrick Conversion au 5e siècle de notre ère – St Patrick et d’autres missionaires – Irish took to it like ducks to water. Eglise irlandaise (celte) – particularités : premier peuple à se christianiser qui n’ont jamais fait parti de l’empire romain 1. Monastique – se développe en un réseau de monastères dirigé par des abbés (célibat pas obligatoire, positions souvent héréditaires ; avec le temps, se comporte comme de grands seigneurs ( MacNab, MacTaggart, MacPherson) ; règle de St Columban 2. Tonsure 3. Façon de calculer la date de Pâques. 4. Penitence private, which replaced the former practice of penance as a public rite.[20] (Diapo 11) L’âge d’or irlandais/renaissance celtique. Alors que l’Europe est bouleversé par les invasions germaniques et la chute de l’Empire romain, les moines irlandais copient des manuscrits et préserve le ‘trésor littéraire’ de l’Ouest. Ils deviennent missionnaires à leur tour, et pendant les 6e et 7e siècles fondent tout un réseau de communautés monastiques à travers l’ Europe de l’Ouest et centrale, qui deviennent des centre d’érudition et de formation ecclésiastique. Expansion militaire en GB : vers 500 (a.d.) des Irlandais (Scotti par les romains) s’établissent sur la côte ouest de l’Alba, fonde le royaume de Dal Riada ( en vieil irlandais : Dál Riata) sur la côte Nord-est de l'Irlande et la côte ouest de l'Écosse. (Diapo 12) Alba St. Columba (Calum Cille, « Colombe de l'église ») missionnaire irlandais s'installe sur l'île de I (Iona) en 563. Les Scotti procèdent à la conquête militaire, conversation, acculturation (du moins l’élite) des Pictes 844– L’unification des royaumes de Fortriu (Pictes), Dalriada (Scotti) pour former le royaume de l’Alba par le roi Kenneth Mac Alpin. En 920, annexion de Strathclyde; annexion de Lothian (Anglais) en 973 sous Calum Ceannmor (Malcolm Kenmore) –Royaume des 4 nations – Écossais (Scotti), Pictes, Cambriens, Anglais. Dominé par les Gaels, apogée de leur pouvoir de l’expansion de leur langue. (Diapo 13) Gaëls – Decline Germaniques: Vikings ou norrois (Scandinaves) s’établissent en Irlande à partir du 9e et s’accaparent du Nord de l’Écosse et des îles de l’ouest (Hébrides). Les Gaels finissent par les absorber. (Brian Boru 1014) Mais, pendant des siècles, les aventuriers de culture mixte (Gallgaels) évoluent au sein du monde scandinaves qui s’étend de l’Amérique du nord à la mer Noire. (Diapo 14) The Normans (slides – cultural accomplishment, lands of Normans and Plantagenets) Les Normands (norrois récemment francisés) c’est une autre affaire. Guillaume, duc de Normandie (dit le Conquérant, ou le Bâtard) s’empare de l’Angleterre en 1066 et refait le pays – représentent tout ce qui est moderne à l’époque – militaire, architectural, administratif. Les Normands apparaissent avant longtemps en Irlande et en Ecosse – invité dans les deux cas. En Écosse, d’abord, invité par le roi Malcolm III, qui a besoin d’aide pour consolider pouvoir (prête allégiance au roi ?). Il leur accorde terres et positions à la cour. Un siècle plus tard (12e) ils sont invités en Irlande par le roi de Leinster qui voulait d’aide militaire ; finissent par conquérir le pays et par s’établir comme grands seigneurs. La souveraineté du roi d’Angleterre sur l’Irlande ( Seigneur d’Irlande ) reconnu par le Pape, favorise les Français, veut mater l’église celte. Avant longtemps, la plupart de ces seigneurs normands en Irlande se font absorber par les Gaels qui les entourent; ils se mettent à parler gaélique et à se comporter en seigneurs gaéliques. Le pouvoir du roi anglais ne s’étant pas plus loins que le Pale, une zone autour de Dublin. (En 1367, the Statuts de Kilkenny cherchent à empêcher aux Anglais d’adopter la culture gaelique). Ce n’est que vers la fin du 16ième que les Anglais arrivent à étendre leur pouvoir. C’est le cas aussi pour une bonne partie de l’Ecosse. Mais le sud s’anglicise, et c’est là que se trouve la cour, à Edinbourg, depuis le 11e. Les Normands sont francophones, mais ils apportent avec eux des subalternes anglais – de plus en plus, au fil des générations, surtout après avoir perdu leurs territoires en Normandie au 13e. (Diapo 15) Robert I de Brus N’empêchent que les rois continuent de parler gaélique pendant un bon moment. Ils ont besoin de l’appui des seigneurs gaéliques pour faire face au pouvoir anglais. Et pour la légitimité. Lorsque Robert I de Brus (Normand par son père, de Brieux) a finalement été reconnu comme roi d’Écosse par l’Église de Rome vers 1320, c’est en s’appuyant sur ses titres de noblesse gaélique du côté maternel. (1314 – bataille de Bannockburn) Il cherche à unir l’Écosse et l’Irlande et appuie la compagne de son frère Édouard pour devenir roi d’Irlande. Dans une lettre qu’il fait venir aux nobles irlandais, il parle de leur langue et leur coutume communes et de « notre nation ». Édouard a même été couronné “ard ri” d’Irlande en 1316, mais les seigneurs du sud ne l’ont pas accepté. Il est mort en bataille et l’idée est morte avec lui. Anglicisation se poursuit tranquillement dans le sud et sur la côte est sous les rois Stuart. L’anglais devient la langue de l’administration., se répand dans les villes est sur la côte est (Slide) Gaelic language c. 1500 Le dernier roi d’Écosse à parler gaélique était Jacques IV, mort en 1513. Mais ce n’est qu’après que Jacques VI devient Jacques I d’Angleterre – plus besoin de l’appui des chefs gaéliques – que le parlement écossais se permet de bannir le gaélique de proposer carrément son éradication. Événements marquants (Diapo 18) Teitheadh na nIarlaí - Flight of the Earls - Fuite des comtes departure from Ireland on 14 September 1607 of Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone and Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell. Les terres des seigneurs confisqué ; plantations en Ulster (1600s); la fuite des seigneurs entraînait la décapitation de la société gaélique – perte des patrons de la culture, ceux qui maintenait les poètes, musiciens. Flight of the Wild Geese In 1609 Ulster was colonised by Protestant subjects, not only a loss to the Gaels of the province itself but also a breaking of a crucial link between Irish and Scottish Gaeldom. (Diapo 19) Culloden (Cul Odair), Déposition of Catholic James II – Jacobite rébellions. 1745, jeune prédendant, Bonnie Prince Charlie (Prionnsa Tearlach) avance jusqu’à Derby (150 km de Londres) avant de battre en retraite. Les Anglais ont eu très peur. défaite en 1746 à Culloden (Cul Odair), répression brutale. Bliadhna nan Creach (“the year of pillaging”). Tout ce qui était gaélique est banni – langue, tartan, kilt, cornemuse. Jusqu’à ce que les Anglais comprennent – font de bons soldats (No Great Mischief) -- kilt, cornemuse, jeux revient à la mode – mais la répression continue à d’autres niveaux. Chefs morts ou se sont fui. Système de clan démantelé; les paysans deviennent de simples locataires. Idea remained that the Clan was a family and the Chief its father. The rise of Romanticism, the myth of the Noble Savage and the emotional Celt, gave an ideological rationale for pruning the obsolete and impractical Celt out of existence, as according to this myth, they could no longer exist in a world of inevitable Anglo-Saxon progress. (Diapo 20) Les expulsions (fuadaichean); Épuration ethnique Les expulsions (fuadaichean); Highland clearances – déplacements forcés de la population des Highlands écossais à partir du 18e siècle, surtout après la bataille de Culloden (1746). Il y a surpeuplement, les terrains sont petits, les paysans pauvres. Bien des seigneurs décident qu’il serait plus rentable pour eux de faire l’élevage de mouton –plus tard, ce sera pour établir des parcs de chasse des cerfs ou de pêche. Alors, ils se mettent à évincer leur locataires – sans compensation aucune, souvent à l’aide de soldats ou d’officiers de la cour, des fois en brûlant leurs maisons derrière eux. Les expulsions continuent jusqu’au 20e siècle. Le nord de l’Écosse est vidé. Les évincés doivent se rendre dans les viles du sud, s’émigrer, comme ils peuvent. Épuration ethnique ? – pas génocide, pas de politique qui vise expressément de les éloigner de leurs territoires ; mais forte volonté de les voir partir. L'époque du balmoralisme: les grands domaines de chasse et de pêche (Diapo 21, 22) Épuration ethnique - famine La Grande Famine (en irlandais An Gorta Mór ou An Drochshaol), entre 1845 et 1849. Lke most famines, not caused by nature, but by humans. Blight destroyed potato crops several years in a row; lots of food. Liberals in power, believers in Adam Smith’s market theory, refused to intervene . 500 000 - million deaths ; 1,5-2 million refugees and emigrants. (Slide 21) By 1900’s Education. What clearances, famine et émigration didn’t accomplish, universal schooling did. National Schools in Ireland – Irish forbidden. 1800: 2.5 millions Irish spoke Gaelic ; 1.5 millions after the famine; 1911, 600 000. Scotland: 1881 – 254,415 people or 6.84%; 1961, 80 978 people or 1.66%. Now 60 000 Contributions – mots, noms, musique, littérature (Diapo 24) Les Gaels au Canada By 1850 Gaelic was possibly the third (or fourth) most-common mother tongue in British North America after English and French (and German) and is believed to have been spoken by more than 200,000 British North Americans at that time. (Bumstead, J.M (2006). "Scots". Multicultural Canada.) Now, Scottish and Irish 30 % of Canadian population (14 and 15 % each). Personages (diapo 25) Alex. McKenzie, explorateur (diapo 26) Simon Fraser, explorateur (diapo 27) Mgr. Alexander McDonell (diapo 28) Wm Lyon Mackenzie (diapo 29) John Sandfield Macdonald, 1er PM Ontario (diapo 30) A.G. Bell (diapo 31) Alex. McKenzie, PM (diapo 32) Thomas D'Arcy McGee, (né Carlingford, Irlande, 13 avril 1825 - Ottawa, 7 avril 1868). I don’t know if he spoke Gaelic, but he was an Irish nationalist in his youth, and a student of Gaelic history and mythology (diapo 33) Sir John Alexander Mcdonald (diapo 34) Pères de la Confédération. At the time of Confederation in 1867 the most common mother-tongue among the Fathers of Confederation was Gaelic? (diapo 35) En 1890, Tòmas Raibeart Mac Aonghais, an independent Senator from British Columbia (born Lake Ainslie, Cape Breton Island) tabled a bill entitled “An Act to Provide for the Use of Gaelic in Official Proceedings.” He cited 18 senators (10 Scottish and 8 Irish) and thirty-two members of the House of Commons who spoke either Scottish or Irish Gaelic. The bill was defeated 42–7. (Diapo 36) Déclin gaélique au Canada Even when Gaels where exiled overseas, they faced the same intolerant Anglo-centric prejudices which characterised the imperial dynamic wherever it went. Last speakers here – 1950s; Glengarry 1980 Cap Breton—only 500 to 1000 native speakers left Gaelic Names (Slide) A little grammar needed to study place and family names Cases – nominative, genitive, dative – examples with/without articles (bard) Masculine Feminine Nominative / Accusative bàrd bròg Genitive bàird bròige Dative (air) bàrd bròig Vocative a bhàird a bhròg (Slide) Cases – vocative (James, Donald, Mary, Joan) Use in names – genitive (vocative) in patronyms; genitive in locative names (Craig, Kinnaird), English versions of place names (Kenmore and Canmore/Cannamore). Gaelic place names in Eastern Ontario (Slide?) map of Eastern Ontario Counties Glengarry = Gleann Garaidh Stormont = Stairmhonaidh (meaning 'crossing place of the mountains' or perhaps ‘path over the moors’) – named for the 1st Viscount Stormont, Sir David Murray of Perth, Scotland. Murray estate includes Scone, where the kings of Scotland were installed. Dundas = Dùn Deas (south fortress) Russell = Ruiseal; family name, from Norman French Roussel (Rousseau), meaning red-headed. Lanark = Lannraig, former county in Scotland Renfrew = Rinn Friù, town and former county in Scotland Lennox = Leamhnachd (elm), the Celtic Earldom of Lennox, in the southernmost highlands, comprised what today is Dunbartonshire, a large part of Stirlingshire, and parts of Perthshire and Renfrewshire (from the River Leven (Uisge Leamhna). The Gaelic name for elm is leamhan. Carleton County – named for General Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester, 1724-1808, Governor of the Province of Quebec (?), from 1768 to 1778 and from 1785 to 1795. He was Irish, born in Strabane, Co Tyrone (wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Carleton,_1st_Baron_Dorchester). As an English name, Carleton has at least two homelands – the English side of Borders, where the name took the form Charlton in the East and Carleton in the West, from Old English ceorla tún (churl’s place); or from places named Carlton in the Galloway region (southwest Scotland), earlier Cairiltoun, referring to the MacKerrals, Gaelic Mac Fhearghail, Irish family settled in Galloway from the 11th century. You might say that it is a bilingual name. The latter is the most likely homeland of the Carletons in Ulster, most commonly in Antrim. Towns and villages Alexandria = Muileann an t-Sagairt (Priest’s Mill) Antrim = Aontroim Appin = An Apainn Arnprior = Earrann a' Phriair. Arnprior is a village in the Stirling council area of Scotland on the A811 about 12 miles west of Stirling. The name is from the Gaelic 'earrann' meaning a division of land. Avonmore = An Abhainn Mhór Berwick = Abaruig Breadalbane = Braghad Albainn (braghad = neck) Cannamore (? Canna = Canmaidh, Eilean Chanfhaidh – Dwelly) Cornwall = Coraghall Colquhoun = cùil chumhang ( tight spot), lands in Dunbartonshire Connaught = Connacht (Irish province) Curran – Irish family name Ó Corráin, (from corra(dh) = spear ) Dalkeith = Dail-che Dalmeny = Dail Mheinidh Dunrobin = Dùn-robain Dunvegan = Dùn-bheagan Enniskerry = Áth na Sceire (rugged ford) Glen Cairn = Gleann a' chuirn Hammond = Mac Ámoinn (family name) Kenmore = An Ceannmhòr Leitrim = Liatroim Lochiel = Loch Iall Munster – Mumhan (Irish province) Navan = An Uaimh (the cave) Ormond = Urmhumhan (East Munster) Perth = Peairt, former capital of Scotland Sarsfield = Sáirséil (family name)  Personal Names Use of Gaelic forbidden for official purposes (in Scotland since union of the crowns) – education, official documents. Church of Scotland, even RC in Ireland ambivalent, discouraged its use for the most part; Little or no Gaelic used in records – church mainly (birth/baptism, cemeteries); government (censuses, deeds, etc.) (Slide) Pairing of Names Identification of Gaelic, non-Gaelic names – seems to have begun with conversion to Christianity; reinforced by interdiction of Gaelic for official purposes. Gaelic versions of ‘Christian’ names : Màiri/Moire, Anna, Iain/Eòin/Seán, Sine, Seamus/Seamas, Daibhidh, Iosag, Adhamh False pairs – old Gaelic names passed off as ‘translations’ of English names : Aodh – Hugh; Aonghuis – Aeneas; Gilleasbuig – Archibald; Eoghan – Eugene; Eachann – Hector; Mòr – Sarah; Siobhan – Joan; Parlan – Bartholomew; Maolsheachlan – Malachi; Diarmuid/Diarmaid – Dennis; Feardorcha – Frederick Confused names – Peadar and Padruig; Giorsal /Grizzel (Griselda) and Grace Gaelic family Names There are basically four sources of family names – from patronymics, trade names, place names and nicknames. Gaelic family names are no exception, although patronyms dominate. Patronymics: Mac and O (ogha); Nic and Ní Trade names: Smith, Lefebvre or Gow (from Gaelic Gobhan) – ancestor who was a smith or a metal-worker of some kind; also Walker, Fuller, Fisher, Baker/Backster, Taylor, Cook, Carpenter, Harper, Crowder; in Gaelic, usually as patronym, with –son, like Mac an t-Saoir, Mac an Fhucadair, Mac an Iasgair , Mac an Tàilleir Placenames: Blair – an ancestor living near a battlefield (blàr, blàir); Boyd – from the island of Bute (Bod, Boid) – in genitive case (of, from); Buchanan – seat or house (buth) of a canon. English has many such names – Nash, Churchill, Lindsay, Hamilton, and so on. The meaning may seem obvious, although the -ton ending originally meant a farm, not a town (as with -ville, baile); or not so obvious – e.g., Ramsbottom means a little valley where rams are pastured Nicknames: Brown, Dun, White, Black, Blake. People could be quite blunt in the old days – e.g., Campbell (crooked mouth) or Cameron (crooked nose), Proudfoot - even met a man called Stillborn. Scott - name for Gaels/Gaelic speakers in anglophone areas; N England and 9th C in Scotland, mostly SE Borders. Foreign names: English : Chisholm – Siosal, Stewart – Stiùbhart, Sarsfield – Sáirséil French : Fraser (Freselière?) = Friseal; Cumming (Commingues, Commines) = Cuimean; Menzies / Manners (Mesnière) = Meinn; Bruce (de Brieux) = Brus; Russell = Ruiseal (from the Norman French ‘roussel’ meaning ‘red-headed’ – which has become the family name Rousseau in standard French), Grant = Grannd fitz and de – Fox, Butler, pretentious ‘de’ Gaelic Family Names in the Ottawa Valley Boyd . The Russell Boyds came from Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland = Boid in Scottish Gaelic, de Búit in Irish. It is generally accepted that the name comes from Bod, the Gaelic name for the island of Bute (Boid is the genitive form of Bod, i.e., "of Bute" or "from Bute"). Early bearers of the Boyd name used the Norman prefix de – e.g., Robertus de Boyde. Some claim it comes from the nickname of one of the early Stewarts, Robert Fitzsimon, known as "Buidhe" (yellow) because of the colour of his hair. Cameron = Camshron or Camran; cam shron means "crooked nose"; in Ir, also Ó Cumaráin (IT) Campbell. Caimbeul in Gaelic means crooked mouth. The name comes from one Gillespie (Archibald) Campbell, who may have had some form of facial paralysis, and became chief (by marriage?) in the 1200’s. The original name of the family was O' Duibhne; they trace their pedigree to Dermot O'Dooney, a hero of old Irish myth and are referred to in Gaelic as "sliochd Dhiarmaid O'Dhuibhne", the seed of Dermot O'Dooney. Many use the name MacDiarmid (see). Campbell is the 7th most common name in Scotland. They were a very successful clan and traditional rivals of the MacDonalds. The name is also common in Ireland, where it is usually Scottish in origin, but it may also come from Mac Cathmhaoil, a sept of Tyrone (Tir Eoghain). The name is sometimes pronounced "camel", as in Campbell County in Tennessee. Mac Cathmhaoil (from Cathmhaol = battle-champion?) also appears in English as Mc Call and Caulfield (RM: Cawfield would approximate the most likely pronunciation, "CAH - voyl"). Cassidy = Ó Caiside. The "cas" element means curly-haired and appears in many names. The Ó Caiside were famous in Ir as poets, churchmen, scholars and hereditary physicians (to the Maguire chiefs in Fermanagh, NI). There were Cassidys in Osgoode at one time, but only Cassidy I knew as a child was Hopalong Cassidy; it never occurred to me at the time that the name might be Irish. Cochrane, Coughran. Early settlers (1848) best know for Cochrane’s Dairy. Name derived from the lands of Cochrane in Renfrewshire, near Glasgow; perhaps from Cumbric “red brook”. Also a Lowland adaptation of the Mac Eachrain; in Ireland, used for Ó Corcráin (Corcoran) Cowan, McCowan, McCone = Sc Mac Comhainn (Dwelly), modern Ir. Ó Comhain, from earlier Ó Comhdhain, Mac Comhdhain, from a rare early personal name Comhghan. Common in Ulster (IT). Croskery, Cosgrove (Coscrach = victorious) Cumming, Cummings, Comyn. Gaelic Cuimein, Cuimeanach. The name was brought into Scotland by Norman nobles whose ancestral lands were at Comines in Normandy or Commingues in Belgium. Curry, Currie. Scottish Mac’Uirrich, MacMhuirich (Mac Vurich), or from coire (kettle) or currach (bog); Irish Mac Gothraidh (Godfrey), Ó Comhraidhe. Carrey, Carry, McCarry is from Ir. Mac Fhearadhaigh, modern Mac Fhearaigh, from the personal name Fearadhagh, meaning "manly", and also appears as MacAree. Meharry, McCarry, McAree, McGarry, King – Mac Fhearadhaigh (manly, fearless). Dempsey = Ó Diomasaigh (diomasach = proud) Dewar (McGeorge) = Déoir, Déoireach (Dwelly); Sc, from deoradh = pilgrim, sojourner. "The mediaeval deoradh has custody of the relics of a saint” (IT, Scottish Surnames); associated with Menzies. Same root in Irish Doran = Ó Deoráin, Ó Deoradháin (foreigner, exiled person). Dow, Duff, Dove. From dubh; perhaps originally Mac Gille Dhuidh in Scotland; in Ireland, Mac Giolla Dhuidh, or from MacCalman Flaherty, O'Flaherty = Ó Flatharta, Ó Flaithertaigh, earlier Ó Flaithbheartaigh, "hospitable" or "generous", lit. "one who behaves like a prince" from flaitheamh (see Flahiff) = prince, ruler + beartach = behaving; see Lafferty, Laverty Holmes, Hume. Hume/Home is Scottish variant of Holmes, from holm, a norse word for an island in a river or swamp; in Ireland, Holmes is from Mac Thómais, which also becomes MacComish, MacCombie, Thom, Thompson. Also Mac Thamhais. Kelly (tailor), O'Kelly = Ó Ceallach or Mac Ceallaich, the 2nd name in Ir. Ceallach means war or strife, but was nevertheless the name of an Scottish abbot and number of bishops; it has been suggested that could also/sometimes be from "cill", meaning church or coille = wood. Kenny, Kenney = Ó Cionaoith (fire-sprung?) or variant of MacKenna = Mac Cionaoith; sometimes English McAuley, McAuliffe, Cauley, etc. and has two distinct sources. 1. Mac Amhlaigh or Mac Amhlaidh means ‘son of Olaf”, from ON Oláfr 'relic of the gods'. Olaf was one of the Norse kings of the Isle of Man. In Irish, Mac Amhlaoibh (Old Irish Amlaib), numerous in Ulster. 2. Mac Amhalghaidh in the South of Ireland is from an old Irish personal name. McDiarmid/McDermot = Mac Diarmaid or Mac Diarmuid in Scotland, Mac Diarmada in Irish (Scottish surnames has Diarmaid, or Diarmait = freeman) McDonald, MacDonnell, McConnell, McDaniel. Mac Dhòmhnaill or Mac Domhnaill (Irish), son of Donald (Dòmhnall), an old Gaelic name apparently meaning "world mighty". (Honest, I didn't make that up - domhan does mean "world" in Gaelic). Other forms in English are McDonnell and McConnel (see); the McDonalds collectively are called Dòmhnallach in Gaelic (Ir. O’Donnel has a similar meaning, but not related (?); Ir Donnelly is not from the same source at all). The name is also confused with McConnell (see) as the pronunciation is quite similar in Gaelic. In spite of later misfortunes and the clearances, McDonald is still the third most common name in Scotland, after Smith and Brown (Dunkling). Not always liked : spagada-gliog domhnallach (MacDonald swagger); “Faram 's na toiream, fasan Chlann Dòmhnaill” = "Give me, but let me not give, MacDonald fashion." Dr MacDougall, MacDowell. Mac Dhùghaill, son of Dùghall (dark foreigner, Dane); Irish Mac Dubhghaill (MacDowell) or O Dubhghaill (Doyle) MacEachern = MacEacharna, MacEachairn (horse-lord) from Mac Eichthigheirn, meaning "son of Eichthighearn". The personal name Eichthighearn is composed of two elements – each, meaning "horse" and tighearna, meaning "lord". McGregor, Greer (Gruer, McGrewar, McRuer?). Mac Griogair, son of Gregor (or Giric, the name of several Pictish kings; descent claimed from brother of Kenneth MacAlpin, King 843-60; hence the slogan "Is rioghal mo dhream = my race is royal". (Moncreiffe - from Gregor, son of King Alpin in 8th C; senior branch of Siol Ailpein). Declared outlaws in 1603 by James VI - after defeat of the Colquhouns - and name proscribed; became "children of the mist"; proscription repealed in 1774. Rob Roy (1671-1734) fought for the Jacobites at Sherrifmuir in 1715 (Costantino). McGrewar (Moncr.) McRuer (Moncr: associated with McDonalds, Frasers), Grier, Gruer, McGrewar associated with the McGregors (Moncr, Const) - form of McGregor(?) MacGuinty, Mac Ginty = Mag Fhinneachta (white snow), a Donegal sept; sometimes used for Mac Entee = Mac an tSaoi (scholar) MacKay, MacKee, Magee, MacCoy, MacCue, MacHugh, Keays, Keyes = Mac Aoidh, MacAodha, son of Aodh (Hugh); Keyes may also be English; Inverness MacKays are Mac Dhài. MacKenzie, Macwhinney, MacKenney = Mac Coinnich, Mac Coinnigh (son of Kenneth, from Coinneach, comely, or Cinead, fire-sprung); the z is a g, pronounced y. McKeown, Mc Ewen, McKeon = Mac Eoghainn (identified with Eugene) MacKeracher, Farquharson, MacCargar. Mac Fhearchair, son of Fearchar (dear one) McLaren, MacLaurin. Mac Labhruin, son of Lawrence. MacLeod = Mac Leòid (son of Leod) McNeely, Conneely = Mac Conghaile (hound of strength?) – but Mac Neilly = Mac an Fhilidh (poet) MacRae, MacCrea, MacCreath, MacRaith, MacGrath, McGraw = Mac Rath (grace, prosperity) McVey, McVeigh = Mac Bheatha, son of life - also gives MacBeth and sometimes Bethune, Beaton Moffatt (Scott) is a town in S Scotland = magh fad Murray, Morrow can be from MacMorrow from McMurray (see) = Mac Muirí (modern) from Mac Muireadhaigh (mariner); or can be an English toponymic. Mulcair = Ó Maoilchéire (devotee of St. Ciar) Mulroney = Ó Maolruanaidh (devotee of St. Ruanadh?) Murphy = Ó Murchadha, Mac Murchadha (murchadh = sea warrior) Robinson, Robertson. English names, Gaelic Robasdan, Mac Dhonnchaidh. Rowan. English from the rowan tree (mountain ash); may be from Rolland; other sources say that the name, both of the family and of the tree, is from the Irish ruadhan, a diminutive of ruadh = red. (EMacL – sometimes a synonym of Ruane or Rohan; widely distributed throughout Ireland, nowhere numerous; Ruane or Royan is from Ó Ruadháin, a sept of the Hy Many (Uí Maine) of mid-Galway and south Roscommon; Rohan is Ó Robhacháin in Munster and Ó Ruadhacháin in Ulster – now found mainly in Kerry and Cork). Scott. Name for Gaels/Gaelic speakers in anglophone areas; N England and 9th C in Scotland, mostly SE Borders. Sullivan. Ó Súilleabháin in Irish, perhaps meaning "little dark-eyed one" ( suil = eye + dubh = black + diminutive ending -an). O'Sullivan is 3rd most common name in Ireland, especially in Munster. Sutherland Tierney, (Tim) = Ó Tighearna, meaning lord. Watson, Wade, MacQuaid. Wade is English (Wada or ford); in Scotland or Ireland, from Mac Uaid, son of Wat. Whelan, Phelan = Ó Faoláin Wood, Woods . English; in Ireland (coille) Young