De-Anglicisation of Names

[turpin]

Dia Dhuit!

Moore: When you study Celtic names, the name Moore crops up as a headache every so often! It can belong to any group, including the English. See the earlier post for a translation. If it's the Irish Moore, than it's actually Ó Mórdha (pronounced OH MORE-yA) meaning "descended from the great one."

I've read the Scottish would be Muir, which is a sept of Gordon for now, because the Muirs don't have a clan chief, though they do have an Armiger.

[flairball]

Hmmm, This is quite interesting. Let's see where this one take us; Rich.

Been told it traces back paternally to Scotland, and though our families record keeping isn't very good is thought to be watered down from MacRitchie, or Ritchie.

[slohairt]

Dia Dhuit, A Thurpin!

That's right. When spelled muir, that makes it easy because it's the Lallans word for moor.

I'm not sure you'll ask, but I'll post it anyway:
(Consider it a preemptive strike! )

MACIVER Son of Iomhar (from Norse Ivarr) Mac Iomhair (IRISH & SCOTTISH GAELIC)

CAMPBELL Crooked mouth. Caimbéal (IRISH) Caimbeul (SCOTTISH GAELIC)

[turpin]

Dia Dhuit, A Thurpin!
Campbell: "crooked mouth" Caimbéal (IRISH) Caimbeul (SCOTTISH) Probably topographical in origin, not facial!

Just a note of interest. The name Campbell appears to be of Norman origin. It may well have come to mean "crooked mouth" in Gaelic, and I have an ancestor named John "Black Lips" Campbell, but as shown in my family tree, Malcolm MacDuibhn, born about 1020 in Lochowe, Argyle, Scotland, married Cambus Bellus de Beauchamp of Normandy. Their son was named Archibald (Gillespic) Campbell, also born in Normandy, and he married Eva Na MacDuibhn of Argyllshire.

[auld argonian]

The Scottish side of my family is the Lattas and the name is definitely of Norman origin...there was a branch of the family that remained in France and on of them was among the mob that stormed the Bastille. The Norman connection makes a bit of sense since Auld William Latta was employed by Richard I as a military engineer. I've been given to understand that there's a rather big streak of Norman blood among the Scots.

Best

AA

[slohairt]

Dia Dhuit!

LATTAS You're probably right. You might find it interesting that there is a Lowland Scots surname Latta (also Latto) of unknown etymology. Could be related. Yes, there is a large Norman streak in the Scots. Possibly even more so in the Irish as well. And, most of all, in the English.

[slohairt]

Dia Dhuit, MacWage!

WAGE I wasn't being nasty. I was just pretending to be Pour1Malt for a moment!
Seriously, though. I did some more digging and found this old Irish name: Mac Uais (pronounced MAC OO-ISH). It has been, at times, anglicised to Wage. Uas was a special crown of silver given to bards/poets who were of the level below the ollamh. Using this etymology, it could mean son of the crowned one. Perhaps this is it!

P.S. You might find it humorous that I went to high school in a small town called Clinton here in Ontario!

MAC DHUIBHSHITH Who knows? It's an Irish name as well, though usually anglicised as Mahaffy.

[gilmore]

The Scottish side of my family is the Lattas and the name is definitely of Norman origin...there was a branch of the family that remained in France and on of them was among the mob that stormed the Bastille. The Norman connection makes a bit of sense since Auld William Latta was employed by Richard I as a military engineer. I've been given to understand that there's a rather big streak of Norman blood among the Scots.

Best

AA

Do you have relatives in North Carolina? My cousin married a Latta from there.