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Jane Lyons lives in Ireland & is an expert on Irish history and culture.
Subj: [IRELAND] Christian Names in Ireland
Date: 10/1/00 2:06:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: jlyons1@iol.ie (Jane Lyons)
To: IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com
Irish Christian names can cause confusion amongst those descendants who
search for their ancestors. In part this confusion can arise because we
spoke Irish, we had dialects (and still have), our Parish registers were
written either in English or Latin so there could be variation from one
place to the next as to how a name was spelled or a diminutive for a
particular name.
Some would say that confusion with our names is a result of Anglization,
particularly when speaking of surnames. However, few fail to realise that
names, which they may consider to be typically 'Irish', were not Irish to
begin with - that they were introduced names. The Christian name of Patrick
is probably one name, which is most commonly associated with Ireland. The
Irish abroad have long been known as 'Paddy' because of St. Patrick the
patron Saint of Ireland. However, the name Patrick is an introduced one,
brought in with the English and Welsh who came with the Normans to Ireland.
In the Ormonde papers there are many English and Welsh carrying this name
but there are few native Irish with the name.
In ancient times, Irish people had one name and this name may have come from
a distinguishing characteristic of the person. There were no surnames.
Queen Maedbh was just that - Queen Maedbh. Cúchulainn the mythological
hero, however, was known as Setanta before he changed his name to Cúchulainn
having killed the hound, which guarded the forge of Culainn, and he guarded
the forge until a replacement hound was found. People had names such as
Donn - a brown haired person; Colm was a dove like person; Diarmaid was
someone without envy.
There are thousands of names recorded in the Annals, the lives of the Saints
and the Martyrologies. Christianity brought few of these in. We had names
such as Dubhdabhoireann - the black haired person from two rough districts
or Cúganmhathair - the hound without a mother. Christianity introduced
'Mael' and Giolla' as parts of names - so: Maelíosa is servant of Jesus;
Maelmhuire is servant of Mary; while Giollaphádraig is devotee of Patrick
The Norsemen introduced names such as Olaf (Olave, Olive); Magnus (Manus);
Renald; Lochlain (Loughlainn, Loghlain) and Roderick (Rory).
The Normans introduced many of the names, which we consider to be typically
Irish to Ireland. They spread throughout the whole country, from Antrim to
Kerry and from Mayo to Wexford, north south and east west they settled in
with the Irish. English officials complained at the time that the Normans
were more Irish than the Irish themselves. The Normans gave us: Anna, Agnes,
Alice, Catherine, Cecily, Eleanor, Evelyn, Honora, Isabella, Joan, and
Margaret. From these we have other names which are the Irish form of these
names such as Úna a form of Agnes.
The Normans gave us Benedict, David, Edward, Gerald, Geoffrey, Henry, Hugo
(Hugh), James, John, Matthew, Maurice, Michael, Myles, Nicholas, Oliver,
Pierse (Peter), Philip, Raymond, Richard, Robert, Roger, Simon, Stephen,
William and
Walter.
During the middle Ages Norman and Irish Lords brought in other names from
the Western Islands and Highlands of Scotland. Names such as Alasdair
(Alexander), Coll and Randal. At this time also, the church began to insist
on the names of well-known saints being given to children so we have Angela,
Barbara, Clare, Gertrude Monica, Teresa and Ursula. Also, men's names such
as Alphonsus, Augustine, Bartholomew, Bernard, Christopher, Dominic,
Francis, Paul and Vincent.
After the Hundred Year War, the English began to have more influence in
Ireland; typical English names were introduced such as George, Jasper,
Victor, Wilfred, Valentine and Sydney, Arabella, Belinda, Charlotte,
Matilda, Pamela and Sophia. The English immigrants also used names from the
Old Testament, we also had Quakers introducing these names: Elizabeth,
Ester, Judith, Rebecca, Sarah, Susannah, Abraham, Ebenezer, Isaac, Joshua,
Moses, and Samuel.
Legal Officers and Landlords tried to reduce Irish names to some form, which
they could understand so names, changed. Those in authority were not all to
blame either. The Irish did their own thing with names also - they gave
male names to females and vice versa, they used diminutives instead of the
given name, they had their own variations on any name which would seem to be
absolutely unrelated to the original name, they spelled names differently in
different areas or pronounced them differently resulting in strange spelling
for the same name when written phonetically.
It was common amongst Irish Protestants to give a surname to a child as a
Christian name. The child could be male or female although more usually
applicable to sons. The surname is taken to be that of the childs mother or
a relative from whom the child would inherit.
The Irish used the same name for both sexes in some instances. Names such
as Florence were more commonly given to male than female children. Sidney or
Sideny was used for both sexes but was more commonly a female name as was
Kitty a diminutive of Catherine but also of Christopher. Kit was applicable
to Christopher also. Constance was given to male and female children.
Constant was also given to males and Constantia to females. Giles is most
usually found as a male name but in Ireland is found as a female name.
Other names which are given to both sexes may be spelled differently such as
Francis (male) and Frances (female); Olive (female) and Olave (male); Jess
(male) and Jessie (female).
We have diminutives which differ materially from the original given name.
Anastasia/Anastatia----- Anty, Antsy
Bartholomew-Bartle, Bat, Batty, Bartly
Elizabeth: -- Bessie, Betsy, Libby, Lizzie.
Bridget/Brigid:-- Biddy, Bride, Beesy
Christopher: - Castor, Kit, Kitty
Cornelius: - Con, Connor, Corny, Neily
Hyacinth: - Centy, Cynthia
Dermot: - Darby,
Honora/Honorah: - Honor, Oney, Onny, Honny, Noey, Norah, Nora
Laughlin: - Lack, Lacky
Judith: - Judy, Juggy
Anne/Hannah:- Nancy, Nan, Nany, Annie
Eleanor/Ellen/Helen:-- Nell, Nelly
Roderick: - Rory, Roddy
Margaret: - Peg, Peggy, Mag, mags, Meg, Maggy
Mary: - Molly, Mally, Polly, Maire
Martha: - Polly, Patsy
Theobold: - Toby
We have names which are different but used interchangeably and accepted -
this is usually accepted because of a common diminutive to both names either
in their English version or their Irish translation.
Abigail and Deborah: - Abbie, Debbie, Gubbie (Gobnait)
Alice: - Ellen (The Irish for Alice is Eilish and that for Ellen is Eileen
and both can be shortened to Eily.
Bridget/Brigid: - Bedelia, Delia, Bessy, Belinda, Dinah
David: - Daniel
Edward: - Edmund
Gerald: - Garret, Gerard
Giles:- Cecily, Cecilia, Celia, Julia
Grizell:- Grace
Hannah:- Honora, Johanna
Jacob:- James, Jane, Joan, Jean
Judith: - Julia
Owen: - Eugene
Patrick: - Bartholomew
Peter: - Patrick (in Ulster)
Randal: - Randolph, Ralph
Susan: - Johanna
Theobald: - Tobias
With the attempts of officialdom to change our names to versions which they
could handleIrish or English equivalents of one another - but not
necessarily a correct translation of such names.
Beircheart: - Benjamin
Ailbhe: - Albert
Brian:- Bernard, Barnabus, Barney
Diarmaid; Dermot, Darby, Demetrius, Jeremiah
Tiernan:- Terence
Teidgh/Teige:- Thaddeus (Thady), Timothy
Aodh:- Hugh, Edie
Tirlogh/Turlough: Terence
Eoghain:- Owen, Eugene
Cormac/Cathal/Cearbhal/Cathaoir/Sorley:- Charles
Conal/Conchubhar/Conn:-Cornelius
Donal/Dhonal:- Daniel, Donald
Donncha/Donogh:- Denis, Donat
Giolla na Naomh:- Nehemiah
Eamonn:-Edmond, Edward, Aimon
Gobnait:- Debora, Abigail
Sadbh:- Sabina, Sarah
Siobhán:- Judith, Johanna, Susan, Jane
Eileen:- Ellen, Helen, Eleanor
Síle/Sheelagh:- Cecelia, Cecily, Giles, Sheila, Celia, Julia
Úna/Oonagh: - Winifred, Agnes
Favourite Catholic Christian Names:
Boys:
Patrick, John, James, Denis, William, Darby, Dermot, Daniel, Cornelius,
Henry, Timothy, Thaddeus, Thomas, Michael, Jeremiah, Bartholomew, Brian,
Lawrence, Terence, Owen, Mathias, Martin, David, Malachy, Miles/Myles and
Joseph.
Girls:
Mary, Catherine, Bridget, Honora, Margaret, Ellen, Anastasia, Johanna,
Judith, Julia, Rose, Mary Anne, Elizabeth and Jane.
Favourite Protestant Names were:
Boys:
Arthur, John, Henry, James, William, Frederick, George, Edward, Richard,
Charles, Philip, Oliver, Jonathan, Anthony, Andrew, Simon and Stephen,
Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Samuel, Joshua and Gamaliel.
Girls:
Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Lucy, Catherine, Susanna, Hannah, Margaret,
Jane, Isabella, Frances Barbara, Gertrude, Dorothea, Charlotte, Alice,
Diana, Rebecca, Lydia, Phoebe, Henrietta, Lettice, Ursula, Penelope, Esther
and Heather.
Some regional naming practises:
Austin (Augustine) common among Catholics in Connaught
Dominic- amongst Catholics in Mayo and Galway
Hyacinth: Galway
Ignatius & Xaverius: amongst Catholics in Mayo and Galway
Florence amongst Catholics in Cork.
Moses a name used by Protestants was common amongst Catholics in Wexford.
Lancelot in Monaghan
Jane was more common in Northern Ireland than in Southern, or amongst
Protestants in Southern Ireland.
Lettice was found amongst protestant families in Cavan
Fintan is a name most associated with Catholics in Laois.
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