De-Anglicisation of Names

[slohairt]

Ok, correct me if I'm wrong. Mine is Connell, Scottish, not Irish from Kilmarnock. It would have come from MacDhomhnuill as the "D" whould be changed due to the vocative form, right. Thereby MacConnell pronunciation.

You are correct! Mac Dhomhnuill would have originally been pronounced more like MAC GOAN-ILL. Like most Gaelic names, it was sloppily rendered into English.

Connell is almost always from the Irish Ó Conaill or more rarely, Mac Conaill. It should be noted, however, that many Irish migrated to Scotland in the mid-19th Century, and Irish names are quite common particularly around Glasgow.

[Kent Frazier]

Slohairt,

Thank you for a most informative thread!

How about Pugh (Welsh?) and Mc Michael?

On the Mc Michael side, my 3rd Great Grandfather was from Tamlackfinluggin, (spelling?) Ireland and my 2nd Great Grandfather was from Thorny Bank, Scotland.

[slohairt]

Slohairt,

Thank you for a most informative thread!

How about Pugh (Welsh?) and Mc Michael?

On the Mc Michael side, my 3rd Great Grandfather was from Tamlackfinluggin, (spelling?) Ireland and my 2nd Great Grandfather was from Thorny Bank, Scotland.

PUGH Yes, it is Welsh, originally Ap Huw meaning son of Hugh. Welsh Ap corresponds to Gaelic Mac.

MCMICHAEL Most place names in Ireland beginning with Tamlaght (fr. Irish Tamhlacht "burial place") are found in Northern Ireland. I would guess McMichael is from the Scottish Mac Gille Mhichil (pronounced MAC GILL-A VI-HILL) meaning son of the servant of St. Michael.

[Bugbear]

Post deleted.

[slohairt]

Alright, I'll bite. There is "Shaw" and then "Crocker," de-anglofy me.

SHAW There can be three etymological origins for this name: Highland, Lowland, and Norman-Irish. The Highland origin is from Mac an Sidhich (pronounced MAC AN SHEE-HEE) meaning son of the wolf. The Lowland origin is topographical from the Anglo-Saxon Sceaga meaning a small wood or thicket. The Scottish Gaelic transliteration of this name is Seadhgh. The Norman-Irish origin is from Jodoc, a name popular among the Breton retainers of Norman knights. Upon the Gaelicisation of the Normans this name became Seoigh (pronounced SHOYE). This is the same name as Joyce.

CROCKER Occupational meaning maker of pots? A Gaelic phonetic rendering/transliteration would be Croicéir (IRISH) or Crocair (SCOTTISH).

[Chrissss]

Let's try mine: Shinn

I've done some research and have found immigration information on-line for Ellis Island, Halifax, and Montreal. Some Shinn's are reported coming from England in the early 19th century, with a couple arriving directly from Ireland.

I believe the name Shinn is a shortened version of one, or several, variants found in County Cork, Ireland. There are too many longer variants, like Shinnoch, Shinnick, Shinnors, and Shinnagh to be a coincidence.

Chris...

[slohairt]

Let's try mine: Shinn

I've done some research and have found immigration information on-line for Ellis Island, Halifax, and Montreal. Some Shinn's are reported coming from England in the early 19th century, with a couple arriving directly from Ireland.

I believe the name Shinn is a shortened version of one, or several, variants found in County Cork, Ireland. There are too many longer variants, like Shinnoch, Shinnick, Shinnors, and Shinnagh to be a coincidence.

Chris...

SHINN Hard to say what the etymological origin is. Shinnoch, Shinnick, and Shinnagh are all Anglicisations of Ó Seanaigh (pronounced O SHAN-EE) meaning descended from the ancient or elder. It is possible that Shinn is from Ó Seain. Shinnors is of Norman origin I believe, and therefore unrelated to the first three. Incidentally, Shinners is a modern slang term for those who support Sinn Féin!

[Nighthawk]

Interesting!

I have two Celtic names in my family- Wolf and Leddy. Leddy I already know the origins of both, but it would be interesting to see what you make of them.

[slohairt]

Interesting!

I have two Celtic names in my family- Wolf and Leddy. Leddy I already know the origins of both, but it would be interesting to see what you make of them.

WOLF If this be the Irish name Wolf/Wolfe/Woulfe, then it is ultimately of Norman origin with an obvious meaning. When the Normans were absorbed into Gaelic culture, the name was rendered de Bhulbh. So, Celtic in the sense that it is an Irish name, though etymologically it is not.

LEDDY I'll assume this is the Irish surname. A tricky, with little documentation. There are a few possible origins: Ó Lideadha, Ó Láidigh/Ó Loidigh (descended from the mighty?) I'm not really sure.

[Clockwork John]

Man, some of these names have very cool meanings, like "son of the wolf" or "descended from the mighty"... then there's me... "John Crooked-Mouth"