« f xim ..^mm: EX LIBRIS. Bertram CT. 3, JHintilr, ILIL.D., Q.Sc, S.S.©., JF.Ja.^. OFFICIAL . YAKIETIES AND SYNONYMES OF SUENAMES AND CHRISTIAN NAMES IN IRELAND. FOR THE GUIDANCE OF REGISTRATION OFFICERS AND THE PUBLIC IN SEARCHING THE INDEXES OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, AND MARRIAGES. BY ROBERT E MATHESON, BARR1STKR-AT-JLA\V, REGISTRAR-GENERAL. DUBLIN: PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STAT10^'EKY OFEJCE, By Alex. Thom & Co. (Limited), 87, 88, & 89, Abbey-street. through any Bookseller, from And to be purchased, either directly or Grafton-stkeet, Dublin or HODGES, FIGGIS & Co. (Limited), 104, ; EYRE & SPOTTISWOODE, East Harding-street, Fleet-street, E.C. -, or and JOHN MENZIES & Co., Rose-street, Edinburgh, 90, West Nile-street, Glasgow. 1901. Frice One Shilling. 4 19S7 9776 PREFACE The First Edition of this book was issued in the year 1890 with the object of assisting Registration Officers and the Public searching the Indexes of Births, Deaths, and Marriages by collating the varieties in the form and spelling of names usually met with, and also those names differing altogether in form, which had been ascertained to be used interchangeably. A careful note lias been made during the decade of cases where additional varieties or peculiarities in Sur- names and Christian names have come under notice in this Office, or have been reported by local Officers. In view of the revision of the Work, I addressed a special circular to the Superintendent Registrars and Registrars asking for information as to the nomenclature in their respective Districts, and I now beg to thank those Officers who have so kindly responded to my request, and in many cases furnished additional information of interest and value. In the preparation of this Edition I have been cordially assisted by Mr. William A. Squires, Superintendent of Records, to whom my best thanks are due. Robert E. Matheson, RegiHrar- General, General Register Office, Charlemont House, Dublin, March, 1901. B 2 TABLK OF CONTENTS. Page Chapter I. Introductory — Remarks, 7 Chapter II. —Surnames, 9 Orthographical changes, . 9 Prefixes, . 9 Affixes, 11 Initial letters following prefixes;, 13 Initial letters, l.i Second letters. 13 Second and third letters, 14 Intermediate letters. 14 Terminals, 15 Contraction or abbreviation of names, 15 Spelling according to usual pronunciation, 15 Older forms of names, 15 Local variations in spelling and form, 17 Variations in spelling at pleasure. 18 Changes owing to illiteracy and other causes. 18 Chapter III. —Surnames, 20 Use of different surnames interchangeably, 20 English and Irish names, . 20 Other names used interchangeably. 24 Irregular use of maiden surnames. 25 Chapter IV. —Christian names, 26 Names applied to both sexes, 26 Abbreviations applicable to both sexes. 27 Abbreviations materially differing from the original name 27 Different names used interchangeably, 28 Irish equivalents for English names, 28 Cases of incorrect spelling. 29 Peculiar names found in the Indexes, 30 Memorandum explanatory of Alphabetical List, 31 Alphabetical List of Surnames, with their varieties and • 32 synonymes, . List 64 Key to Reference numbers in Alphabetical 68 Index to Alphabetical List^ K/C< ... CHAPTER I Introductory Remarks. The subject of names presents an attractive field for investiga- tion, but some of its most interesting aspects are beyond the scope of the present treatise, which is necessarily confined to those variations and peculiarities afiecting our national records of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. In January, 1894, I prepared for the late Registrar-General a Special Report on Surnames in Ireland, with notes as to numerical strength, derivation, ethnology, and distribution, based on infor- mation extracted from the Births Indexes of the General Register Office for the year 1890. This treatise was published as an Appendix to the Twenty-ninth Annual Report of the Registrar- General, and presented to Parliament. There is, unfortunately, no complete record of the surnames in this country. An attempt was made by the Census Commis- sioners of 1851 to compile such a work, but when only partially done it was given up. Our national Indexes of Births, Deaths, and Marriages for the last thirty-six years probably contain almost all the surnames in use in this country, but the information is necessarily scattered over many volumes, and the task of presenting in a complete and readable form the surnames of the population yet remains to be accomplished. Apart from the official purpose for which they have been prepared, the Indexes form a most interesting study. Like the figures in the kaleidoscope, names are continually changing, old names dropping out and new ones appearing. In addition to our Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Norman surnames, we find Highland Gaelic names, represented by " MacDougal," " MacGregor," " Macintosh." Welsh names are found, such as "Morgan," "Richards," "Apjohn." Danish names appear as "Dowdall," "Dromgoole," "Gould," " Coppinger." There are many Huguenot names, as " La Touche," " Du Bedat," " Lefroy," " Dubourdieu," " Le Fanu," " Drelincourt," " Dombrain,"" Crom- melin," " Boileau," " De Blacquiere." Italian names are repre- sented, as "Bassi," " Ceppi," " Casciani." We have various German Palatinate names, as " Bovenizor," " Delmege," " Switzer," " Doupe," " Teskey," " Shire," and " Moddler." Jewish names are found, such as "Cohen," "Levi/' "Aaron," and the Indexes are now showing the result ot the recent migration to this country of Jews from Russia in such names as " Rabinovitch," '' Weiner," " ''Matufsky," " Hesselberg," "Stuppel," Rossin," '' Winstock," " Greenberg," " Maisell," " Statzumsky," " Coplau," " Wachman," " Wedeclefsky," and " Fridberg." . None but those actually engaged in registration work can have any idea of the practical difficulties which are encountered by persons searching the Indexes, owing to the gi'eat variations in names in Ireland. These variations are not only in spelling and form, but entirely different names are used synonymously by the same person or by members of the same family. Many of these cases are direct translations of Irish names into English, or vice versa, while in others they are equivalents, modifications, or corruptions of them. In a country where two different languages are spoken, it might be expected some such cases would occur, but in Ireland the practice is much more widespread than is commonly supposed. In addition to the changes attributable to the difference of language, time has a powerful effect in altering names, which have also a tendency to assume various forms in different districts. Illiteracy also operates in corrupting names, while they are also frequently varied in spelling and form at pleasure. It is proposed in this treatise first to analyse the orthographical changes usuall}' met with, and then to consider the use of different surnames interchangeably. As some peculiarities have been met with in Christian names which affect the Indexes, it has been deemed advisable to insert a notice of them. To the alphabetical list of surnames, with their varieties and synonymes, is prefixed a short explanation of the principles on which it has been prepared. The list is followed by an Index, enabling the reader to trace without difficulty each variety to the principal name or names with which it has been found to be used i nte rchangeably —— ; 9 CHAPTER II. OllTHOGRAPniCAL CHANGES IN SURNAMES. Ft would be impossiWe to codify all the varieties iu the spelling of surnames, but the following will illustrate the character of those changes most frequently met with, and indicate the direction in which the variety may be looked for. Prefixes. The most common prefixes in Ireland are the Celtic preHxes O and Mac. T have received tne following reports as to the resumption of the prefix O by Celtic families : — ' Armagh District " A very large number have added ' as a prefix. Those who were formerly known as Neill are now O'Neill ; Reilly, now O'Reilly ; Hagan, now O'Hagan, &c. Indeed I think every one in my district who by any possibility could prefix the O has done so, and this was only commenced a few years ago. I have known earlier births registered without the O, but later ones of same family must have the prefixed." Mountshannon District—" It is becoming customary with the people of this district to add an O to such names as Callaghan, Kelly, Flanagan, Grady, Farrell,and call themselves O'Callaghan, O'Kelly, O'Flanagan, (fee." On the other hand, the Registrar of Broughshane District, Ballymena Union, reports—" Some families have dropped the O, as O'Hamill, Hamill ; O'Kane, Kane O'Mellan, Mellan ; O'Donnell, Donnell; O'Dornan, Dornan." Prefixes may affect the Index in several ways. The name may be given without the prefix, or the prefix may be added to the name so as to form one word, or it may be incorporated in a modified form, producing a fresh variety of the nam.e. The following are instances : Prefix Fitz. Name Harris. With Prefix FitzHarris. Prefix incorporated Feeharry. Prefix M' or Mac. Name Guinness. With Prefix M^Guinness. Prefix incorporated Maginnis. with " II " is The prefix Mac with surnames beginning "— sometimes incorporated as " Mackle," thus :— " Macllhatton " " " "— Macklemoyle." Macklehattan ; Macllmoyle " Prefix O. Name Reilly. With Prefix O'Reilly. Prefix D', De and DeLa. Name Courcy. With Prefix D'Courcy, De Courcy. Name Hunt. With Prefix De La Hunt. Prefix incorporated Delahunt. Prefix Le. Name Fevre. With Prefix Le Fevre. Prefix incorporated Lefevre. — — 10 In some instances the name with the prefix has become obsolete. Thus for example the Registrar of Kead}?- District (Armagh Union) reports: " I may mention that my own family name Dorman has been abbreviated from De Dormans." Other prefixes have been reported from various districts. The preiix " St." (abbreviation of Saint), is found incorporated in several names in a modified form, : — — "— thus "St. Clair" "Sinclair"; " St. John " Singen " or " Cingen "; " St. Leger "—" Sollinger." The Registrar of Moira District has supplied an interesting note regarding various prefixes to the name Lavery.