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Ancestry Daily News
5/13/2003 - Archive
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Investigating Irish Surnames |
Investigating Irish Surnames
Each time my online course gets underway I notice the same thing—most people starting Irish research have had little or no experience with surname
variants. They have been spelling their name one way all their lives, their
parents did the same, and the consistent use of one spelling may go back beyond
that. The idea that names have different spellings is new and the apparently
unrelated variants of some Irish names come as a surprise. There is plenty of
evidence in print, on the Internet, and on CD that can help anyone learn more
about Irish surnames, particularly one's own family names. This article reviews
the most useful and most accessible resources.
For years I have turned to resources that are in print—Surnames of Ireland,
by Edward MacLysaght (Dublin, 1973), and Surnames in Ireland, by Robert
Matheson (originally published 1901 and 1909, reprinted in one volume, GPC 1994,
presently out of print). MacLysaght is quite possibly the greatest authority
on Irish names. He has written several books, including the basic surname dictionary
noted above. Its brief introduction neatly answers many novices' questions.
The most common ones are about the use of Mc and Mac (not indicative of Scottish
names) and O (added to some names in error in the 1800s).
MacLysaght also comments on name variants, making reference to my other favorite
resource, Surnames in Ireland. This publication is two books in one.
The first part is a long table of statistics based on the registration of births
in all of Ireland in 1890. All surnames for which five or more registrations
were made are listed. For each name there are six columns: the total registered,
number registered in each of the four provinces, and notes on the counties in
which each name was principally found. The second part presents a list of names
with variant forms and includes four fascinating, and sometimes amusing, chapters
on spelling, contractions, interchangeable names, English and Gaelic forms,
etc. This section includes a comprehensive index to all name variants.
The core facts of these two publications, and lots of additional information,
can be found online and on CD-ROM, and I must admit, playing with the electronic
forms is fun. At the online site for the Irish Times (www.ireland.com/ancestor/
), one of three main options is to find out more about a surname; type a name
into the field and click on 'go.' The result is a page presenting a summary
of the number of times the name appears as head of a household in each county
in Griffith's Primary Valuation, a property survey carried out between 1848
and 1864. There are many more names here than in Matheson's book. On the left
is a list of up to four other options (not all are available for all names):
coat of arms, family history publications, 1890 distribution (based on Matheson),
and surname history.
The Griffith's information is presented in a small map and in a table. If you
want to see details for how often a name appears in each parish of one county
then an $8 payment is required. There is another feature of the Griffith's distribution
survey: a second surname can be added to see in what counties two names appear
together. There is an $8 charge to find out the parishes in which the names
appear together.
These electronic formats stem from the work of John Grenham, hence the title
of the CD-ROM, Grenham's Irish Surnames (Eneclann, 2003); a "tour" of the CD
is at their website: www.eneclann.ie
If you are interested in several Irish surnames it is a better value; all the
features of the website are here (both free and paid) and the CD costs about
the same as five paid items online. The CD layout is easy to use; in my opinion
it is a better format than that of the website. The data is clearly presented
in tables and maps. The simplicity is appealing, as is the visual presentation;
it really helps to see the facts that the name distribution surveys of Griffith's
and Matheson's work reveal.
As for improvements, on the CD and at the website I would prefer better contrast
in the text areas (e.g., surname background information) and some text could
be larger. There should be some explanation about how the CD and the website
handle name variants; also, I wonder whether a wild card option might be helpful.
Experimentation suggests that the main variants are found; e.g., type in Grean
and you get Green (the main form) grouped with several other variants. Another
box shows what variants are not included in the survey. Sometimes the variants
appear separately; e.g., those in surname explanations. Thornton is a variant
of Drennan but if you do not read all the detail you will not discover this;
these names must be searched for separately and the connection is not up front.
The CD and the website are fun and useful. Griffith's survey information and
the maps are great features. I know, however, that I will not part with my books.
Not only do I enjoy the extra detail, but Matheson in print, with its extensive
list of variants and excellent index, ensures that you will find all related
names.
Editor's Note: Grenham's Irish Surnames CD-ROM is on sale today in The Shops@Ancestry.com at:
www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=P3259
Sherry Irvine, CGRS, FSA(Scot) is an author, teacher, and lecturer specializing
in English and Scottish family history. She is the author of Your English
Ancestry (2nd ed, 1998) and Your Scottish Ancestry (1997) and a regular
contributor to several journals including Genealogical Computing. Since
1996, she has been a study tour leader, course coordinator, and instructor for
the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, Samford University. She
teaches online for the family history program of Vermont College and has lectured
at conferences in Canada, the United States, and Australia. She is president
of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Your Scottish Ancestry: A Guide for North Americans
www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=P1046
Your English Ancestry: A Guide for North Americans
www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=P1045
Sherry's MyFamily.com Classes
Sherry will be teaching the following classes online at MyFamily.com. For more
information see the links provided:
Irish Research Class, 17 June 2003
http://ancestry.myfamily.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=3560&sourceid=831
English Family Trees, 19 June 2003
http://ancestry.myfamily.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=3567&sourceid=831
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