Variants: McQuillan In Irish: MacCoilin or MacUighlilin Found in: Ulster Origin: Gaelic Means “son of little Hugh” and refers to Hugeli de Mandeville a Norman-Welsh lord who arrived in Ireland in the 12th century. MacSweeney Variants: MacSwiney, Sweeney, Sweeny Found in: Cork, Donegal....
Then it was discovered that the New Brunswick and Ontario McKanes were also cousins.However, all those stories about the McCains being Highland chiefs in Argyllshire, alas, were not true. The DNA connection instead originated with a Mac Eain who lived in the parish of Kilmichael Glassary in...
are formed with a prefixedFitz-(e.g., Fitzgerald), which goes back to Norman Frenchfis‘son.’ In contradistinction to English, the Scottish patronymics are formed by a prefixedMacorMc(McGregor), the Irish withO(O’Brien) orMcorMac, and the Welsh withP-(Powell ‘son of Howel’). In...
Early Celtic warfare entailed painting the face or body to intimidate the enemy. It is conjectured that Mac Gormain warriors might have picked up this nomenclature in battle and it was handed down to their offspring. Under English rule this surname became Gorman. Gorman is an interesting ...
This method is in the father’s name and said the son of the meaning of the prefix or suffix. English suffixson and Swedes suffix son, Scottish prefixes Mac , Irish prefixing Mac or Mc and Q, Norman adds Fitz, German Von, Spanish and Italians add Di, Danish and Norwegian suffix-seen...
Governed as they are by common law and national or local statutes, practices of personal naming in the United Kingdom and United States are relatively unfettered by legislation (for the U.S., see MacDougall1985; for the UK, see Finch2008). Nonetheless, practices of personal naming in these...
Up with halbert out with sword! On we’ll go for by the Lord! Feagh MacHugh has given the word, Follow me up to Carlow!” Billy Byrne’s Lament.Billy Byrne was an influential and well-regarded gentleman among his peers in Wicklow in 1798. But he was convicted and hanged on the ev...
Over time, the Savages became fully part of the Irish landscape (the Gaelic version of their name was Mac an tSabhasaigh) and were constantly at war with other Irish clans in the area, in particular with their arch-rivals, the Clandeboye O’Niells....