De-Anglicisation of Names

[slohairt]

Dia Dhuit!

MACKERS Hmmm....Two things come to mind. 1) It could be a rough anglicisation of Mac Fhiarais (pronounced MAC EE-UR-ISH) meaning son of Fiaras. Fiaras is an Irish form of the Norman name Piers meaning Peter. 2) It could be contracted from MacKerras which was originally Mac Fhearghais (pronounced MAC ER-ISH). This means son of Fergas and, yes, it is the same name as Ferguson.

[starbkjrus]

Ok, I'll toss this one out as it has proved a bit vexing to me. My surname is Kellett; sometimes rendered as Kellet or in some of the oldest references I've seen as de Kellet.

The family traditions have always been that we are Scots and the family is quite proud of our historical connections to the Stewarts (although I can't find anyone who knows exactly WHAT those connections are :rolleyes: Other than marriage anyway.). I WILL say that the first son in each generation since Culloden is named Charles. Before that time it more ran to Joseph or Talmadge or James. My branch of the family seems to have arrived here in the early to mid 1700's.

The "bucket shops" on the net seem to all agree that the family originates in Lancashire, England (in the 12th century) and there are two villages east of Lancaster named Over Kellet and Nether Kellet. (According to one of the village's websites "kellet" means spring or stream in northern England.) Don't know much about the history in that area but hope to so some sleuthing in person next year.

So, the family says we are Scots and in District Tartans there is a reference to Kellet as a Scottish surname that should wear the Tyneside (Englsih) district tartan. What were we doing in England?

Sorry,

Any clue on the surname?

[slohairt]

Dia Dhuit!

KELLETT Also Kellet, or Kellit. It's topographical in origin and apparently comes from the Old Norse keldr meaning spring, and hlid meaning hill. The name is found in Lancashire like you said, but also in Cumbria, an area of England with a rich Celtic history. The border between Scotland and England was a pretty fluid one for many centuries. Naturally people moved back and forth. So, a Lowlands Scots origin is probably not unlikely. A Gaelic translation could be Cnoc Tobair (KNOCK TAWB-ER) or a Gaelic transliteration would be de Ceiléad (IRISH) or Ceileud (SCOTTISH GAELIC) Both pronounced KyELL-AID.

Hope this was helpful and not just repeating things you already know!

[starbkjrus]

Dia Dhuit!

Kellett: Also Kellet, or Kellit. It's topographical in origin and apparently comes from the Old Norse 'Keldr' meaning "spring" and 'hlid' meaning "hill." The name is found in Lancashire like you said, but also in Cumbria, an area of England with a rich Celtic history. The border between Scotland and England was a pretty fluid one for many centuries. Naturally people moved back and forth. So, a Lowlands Scots origin is probably not unlikely. So, a Gaelic translation could be Cnoc Tobair (KNOCK TAWB-ER) or a Gaelic transliteration would be de Ceiléad (IRISH) or Ceileud (SCOTTISH GAELIC) Both pronounced KyELL-AID.

Hope this was helpful and not just repeating things you already know!

Very helpful. As anyone that does any kind of research you can dig around for facts but at some point you have to make assumptions to proceed. It's always nice to get a bit of confirmation on those.

Thank you for all the information you've offered in this thread. I find it fascinating.

[slohairt]

Dia Dhuit, A Smaughazard!

KINCAID This was a bit trickier than I thought it would be, but here it goes. The name is topographical in origin and very old. It was originally Pen Coed which is Brythonic Celtic (i.e. similar to Welsh) and meant head of the woods. Later, when Gaelic overtook that language of the Strathcylde Britons the name became half-translated into Gaelic as Ceann Caith (pronounced KyAN KAY). Later, of course, this was anglicised into Kincaid.

[smaughazard]

Dia Dhuit, A Smaughazard!

KINCAID This was a bit trickier than I thought it would be, but here it goes. The name is topographical in origin and very old. It was originally Pen Coed which is Brythonic Celtic (i.e. similar to Welsh) and meant head of the woods. Later, when Gaelic overtook that language of the Strathcylde Britons the name became half-translated into Gaelic as Ceann Caith (pronounced KyAN KAY). Later, of course, this was anglicised into Kincaid.

You were kind enough to provide this information for me.

I am happy to announce that the Clan Kincaid website is finally up and running at http://www.clan-kincaid.org, and that you are credited at the top of the History page. Thanks again!

Bill Kincaid
Webmaster-Clan Kincaid

[slohairt]

Wow, thank you for the recognition! Both unexpected and much appreciated!