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Surnames & Name in General
From the ancient Celtic and Scandinavian Area Tribes
Surnames & Name in General
From the ancient Celtic and Scandinavian Area Tribes
From the ancient Celtic and Scandinavian Area Tribes
The Celts did not have last names until much later and last names started with the names of their fathers, like "son of Donald" or "daughter of" and then the mother or fathers name. Mac, Mc and ap also means "son of". It was later on that this changed to include the clans or individuals known occupation or contribution to the bigger tribe/community - Donald the Smith or William the Miller. These names are still with us today. In fact my birth name is Mills. To mention something about each last name will be time consuming, but below I am compiling a list that will be added to as I go on. I do have also another post on the actual tribe names which was a lot of work, and it is still not done, so if my fans want to help and send me stuff, that would be much appreciated. If you do so, please write me and I shall include it in the report with a plug to your name on my other article Modern names. I shall list as many that I know of within the tribes & you can research on your own and discover its magic.
If you read the article I wrote on Tribal naming then you'll see that some totem names, over time, became the surnames we know today and the last Great Kings or Queens or Chieftains that held them in that clan/tribe.
Well-known names as Trevelyan, Trelawney, Treherne,
Trevor, Polwhele, Pentreath, Pendennis, are Celtic names - Tre is the Welsh tre or tref (home, hamlet), Irish treabh (house, family, tribe), English thorp; pol is the Welsh pwll, Irish poll (a hole, pit, pool); pen is the Welsh pen (a head, end, hill), and Old Irish cenn now ceann (head, headland), and also beinn
(a hill, a summit). Some Welsh and Irish names indicating a father or ancestor; as the
Vyvyans, Oliphants, Kennalls, Jenners, Keigwins, Scawens, and others, all most purely Celtic, both in name and blood.
Welsh family names are generally easy to recognise, but in many cases are most often mistaken for English names. Names such as as Tudor, Gwynn (Wynn)
Morgan, Meredith, Owen, Griffith, Rhys (Rees, Rice) Lloyd, Howell,
Evan, Vaughan, and Craddock.
It
first should be first noted that Surnames did not come into effect
until 1057 in Scotland. Prior to this, our lineage came from our god
descendant's totem, above.
Allmack - in London, having been started by a Highlander, whose original name was MacCall or MacAll.
Davidson - was Mac Daibhidh - "David's son"
Campbell of
Glenure (which means "Glen of Yew"), "I wish he were yew and not
alder"i.e., the noble yew tree of his territorial title rather than an
ignoble tree. The Campbells - Their Emblem was the gale, some bog myrtle.
Clan Chattan used with the fir "in commemoration of Rothemurchus from whence they came, & where there grows so many firs, but Clan Chattan derives its name from the totem wild cat - Chattans - Cat totem.
Cruden -
comes from Croih Dain (a Pictish King) or Cro-Dun (the circle on the
hill) or Croo-Dane ( a circle of stones in honour of Danes and Scots
who were honouring the slain warriors and the new peace between them
(Scots are Irish and Picts mixed). Picts - called themselves Cruithni . th in some gaelic languages was pronounced "d" so this is another possibility.
The Giuthas - "Fir"
MacDonalds of Braemar were so named because the clan's founder spent in the woods as a fugitive. MacDonalds -emblem was the heather, boasted that "now the heather was above the [bog myrtle].
Clan MacLaren's choice of the laurel , its clan's badge, refers to the name of its founder. Frasers did with the yew of Tomnahurich from where they came.
Í Néill - great yew (one of the noble types of wood) torn from soil by a storm (Ó Cuív).
Kincaid - comes from Cairbre Cinn Cait - Caibre of the Cat Head, wore some sort of Cat headdress - 'of the tribe of the cat.
MacCodrums -
came from Bardic lineage. Their totem seems to be seal as they would
not kill or eat them, nor use their oils or skins. Legend has it that
the women bearing this name have pain during seal hunting season.
The MacNivens of
Islay says that they were descended from a child found at the root of a
tree, and thus named "Mac Craoibh[e]an (the son of trees)."
MacRae - a small charm was recorded that mentions
MacLeans: B'úr a' choill as na dh'fhás thu -fresh the woodland you sprung from-Siol nam failleanan árd bu mhór stoirm.- seed of the mighty trunks of great storm.
McCarthy -
(MacCarthy, McCarty etc) the oldest clan symbol is a red Stag on a
greyish silver shield, with yellow horns and hooves. Its one leg about
to step forward. The McCarthy name comes from
their ancient ancestor called Muiredach Mac Carthach. This clan is
originally from the isle of Ireland, which in the Christian era was
divided into 5 kingdoms, Ulaidh, Midhe, Laighin, Mumhain, and
Connacht. I use the ancient spellings here. The McCarthy's are from
Munster or Mumhain, ruled by those descendant from Eoghanacht. The Eoghanacht are Spanish Celts (Spain area) from the son
Heber of the Spanish King Milesius, spoken about as one of the
invasions in their mythology. Eaghan Mor ("Slave
of Nuada") is supposedly the 46th descendant of Heber. This is the
oldest McCarthy written about and he died in 192 CE. Conall Corc,
however, who died in 379 CE, is the the first accepted historical King
who was elected by method of tanistry. But in the same area, in the 900's, there were also a family descendant from DalgCais & these two Septs fought. (A sept) is a sub-group from the same tribe.). This is where both the McCarthy's and the O'Briens come from. They feuded for years and finally in 1118, Munster was finally divided in half and became Tuadh Mumhan (Thomod), which is the dynasty of the O'Briens and Des Munham (Desmond), the dynasty of the McCarthy's. Carthach's Grandson, Tadhg 1
MacCarthy was the first King of Desmond. Their last King's reign ended
in 1596 with no male heir. (in pre-Christian times, otherwise know as Celtic pagan times, their was no male heirs, as it was not a patriarchal thing then, it was the fittest -
male or female which would take the next lead, usually by vote or contest. Craddock is the most ancient of Welsh names and one of the most
distinguished, for it is
but the English spelling of Caradoc (accent on the second syllable) a later form of Caratauc which represents Caratacus
(corruptly 'Caractacus') the name of the British warrior who fought so
valiantly against the Romans. Remember that the Celtic tribes shared thei heroes thus, the Irish had the same name Cárthach whence MacCarthaigh
or 'McCarthy'; hence Welsh 'Craddock' equals Irish 'Carthy.' At the
beginning of the Christian era the Irish form was most probably *Carathachas.
The Hays of Erroll (in Scotland) was said to be tied with the life of a mistletoe that grew on a particular oak tree.
MacCrimmons - From Skye. Seal lineage.
Mac Cuain - ("The Son of the Sea"). McEwan, MacKewan - Always dream prophesies when associated with sea.
McDonalds - Dog lineage.
McGregors - Bloodhound lineage.
MacIntosh - Cat totem.
MacKelvies - Dove lineage.
McLeod - had the horse totem.
MacMasters - Pig lineage/totem.
MacNichols - Cat totem.
MacNeishes - Cat lineage (totem).
McPhees - Seal lineage/totem.
Weir clann - The Dragon Motif was depicted in 1200 AD. on the seal of Hugh de Vere, whilst the Blue Boar, a Druidic caste badge, was derived from the family of Raymond de Vere.Vere changed to Weir. The southern Picts of Alba (the Scots) - totem tribal badge was the Dragon, this is important to note as Wales area later had the Red Dragon.
If you read the article I wrote on Tribal naming then you'll see that some totem names, over time, became the surnames we know today and the last Great Kings or Queens or Chieftains that held them in that clan/tribe.
Well-known names as Trevelyan, Trelawney, Treherne,
Trevor, Polwhele, Pentreath, Pendennis, are Celtic names - Tre is the Welsh tre or tref (home, hamlet), Irish treabh (house, family, tribe), English thorp; pol is the Welsh pwll, Irish poll (a hole, pit, pool); pen is the Welsh pen (a head, end, hill), and Old Irish cenn now ceann (head, headland), and also beinn
(a hill, a summit). Some Welsh and Irish names indicating a father or ancestor; as the
Vyvyans, Oliphants, Kennalls, Jenners, Keigwins, Scawens, and others, all most purely Celtic, both in name and blood.
Welsh family names are generally easy to recognise, but in many cases are most often mistaken for English names. Names such as as Tudor, Gwynn (Wynn) Morgan, Meredith, Owen, Griffith, Rhys (Rees, Rice) Lloyd, Howell, Evan, Vaughan, and Craddock.
Welsh family names are generally easy to recognise, but in many cases are most often mistaken for English names. Names such as as Tudor, Gwynn (Wynn) Morgan, Meredith, Owen, Griffith, Rhys (Rees, Rice) Lloyd, Howell, Evan, Vaughan, and Craddock.
It first should be first noted that Surnames did not come into effect until 1057 in Scotland. Prior to this, our lineage came from our god descendant's totem, above.
Allmack - in London, having been started by a Highlander, whose original name was MacCall or MacAll.
Davidson - was Mac Daibhidh - "David's son"
Campbell of
Glenure (which means "Glen of Yew"), "I wish he were yew and not
alder"i.e., the noble yew tree of his territorial title rather than an
ignoble tree. The Campbells - Their Emblem was the gale, some bog myrtle. Clan Chattan used with the fir "in commemoration of Rothemurchus from whence they came, & where there grows so many firs, but Clan Chattan derives its name from the totem wild cat - Chattans - Cat totem.
Cruden - comes from Croih Dain (a Pictish King) or Cro-Dun (the circle on the hill) or Croo-Dane ( a circle of stones in honour of Danes and Scots who were honouring the slain warriors and the new peace between them (Scots are Irish and Picts mixed). Picts - called themselves Cruithni . th in some gaelic languages was pronounced "d" so this is another possibility.
The Giuthas - "Fir"
MacDonalds of Braemar were so named because the clan's founder spent in the woods as a fugitive. MacDonalds -emblem was the heather, boasted that "now the heather was above the [bog myrtle].
Clan MacLaren's choice of the laurel , its clan's badge, refers to the name of its founder. Frasers did with the yew of Tomnahurich from where they came.
Í Néill - great yew (one of the noble types of wood) torn from soil by a storm (Ó Cuív).
Kincaid - comes from Cairbre Cinn Cait - Caibre of the Cat Head, wore some sort of Cat headdress - 'of the tribe of the cat.
MacCodrums -
came from Bardic lineage. Their totem seems to be seal as they would
not kill or eat them, nor use their oils or skins. Legend has it that
the women bearing this name have pain during seal hunting season.
The MacNivens of
Islay says that they were descended from a child found at the root of a
tree, and thus named "Mac Craoibh[e]an (the son of trees)."
MacRae - a small charm was recorded that mentions MacLeans: B'úr a' choill as na dh'fhás thu -fresh the woodland you sprung from-Siol nam failleanan árd bu mhór stoirm.- seed of the mighty trunks of great storm.
McCarthy - (MacCarthy, McCarty etc) the oldest clan symbol is a red Stag on a greyish silver shield, with yellow horns and hooves. Its one leg about to step forward. The McCarthy name comes from their ancient ancestor called Muiredach Mac Carthach. This clan is originally from the isle of Ireland, which in the Christian era was divided into 5 kingdoms, Ulaidh, Midhe, Laighin, Mumhain, and Connacht. I use the ancient spellings here. The McCarthy's are from Munster or Mumhain, ruled by those descendant from Eoghanacht. The Eoghanacht are Spanish Celts (Spain area) from the son Heber of the Spanish King Milesius, spoken about as one of the invasions in their mythology. Eaghan Mor ("Slave of Nuada") is supposedly the 46th descendant of Heber. This is the oldest McCarthy written about and he died in 192 CE. Conall Corc, however, who died in 379 CE, is the the first accepted historical King who was elected by method of tanistry. But in the same area, in the 900's, there were also a family descendant from DalgCais & these two Septs fought. (A sept) is a sub-group from the same tribe.). This is where both the McCarthy's and the O'Briens come from. They feuded for years and finally in 1118, Munster was finally divided in half and became Tuadh Mumhan (Thomod), which is the dynasty of the O'Briens and Des Munham (Desmond), the dynasty of the McCarthy's. Carthach's Grandson, Tadhg 1 MacCarthy was the first King of Desmond. Their last King's reign ended in 1596 with no male heir. (in pre-Christian times, otherwise know as Celtic pagan times, their was no male heirs, as it was not a patriarchal thing then, it was the fittest - male or female which would take the next lead, usually by vote or contest. Craddock is the most ancient of Welsh names and one of the most distinguished, for it is but the English spelling of Caradoc (accent on the second syllable) a later form of Caratauc which represents Caratacus (corruptly 'Caractacus') the name of the British warrior who fought so valiantly against the Romans. Remember that the Celtic tribes shared thei heroes thus, the Irish had the same name Cárthach whence MacCarthaigh or 'McCarthy'; hence Welsh 'Craddock' equals Irish 'Carthy.' At the beginning of the Christian era the Irish form was most probably *Carathachas.
The Hays of Erroll (in Scotland) was said to be tied with the life of a mistletoe that grew on a particular oak tree.
MacCrimmons - From Skye. Seal lineage.
Mac Cuain - ("The Son of the Sea"). McEwan, MacKewan - Always dream prophesies when associated with sea.
McDonalds - Dog lineage.
McGregors - Bloodhound lineage.
MacIntosh - Cat totem.
MacKelvies - Dove lineage.
McLeod - had the horse totem.
MacMasters - Pig lineage/totem.
MacNichols - Cat totem.
MacNeishes - Cat lineage (totem).
McPhees - Seal lineage/totem.Weir clann - The Dragon Motif was depicted in 1200 AD. on the seal of Hugh de Vere, whilst the Blue Boar, a Druidic caste badge, was derived from the family of Raymond de Vere.Vere changed to Weir. The southern Picts of Alba (the Scots) - totem tribal badge was the Dragon, this is important to note as Wales area later had the Red Dragon.
Mysteel Mills
Copyright July 27, 2011
3 comments:
My comment is more of a question. I am doing a family tree and a family history to pass down to my children and with a name such ass mine....Welch, it is quite difficult. I cant do research without the word Welch coming up and not the name more often than not. One of my relatives spent 1 year in Scotland doing family research and he insists that we are not Irish or from Wales. He insists we are from ancient Scotland. If you could just point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. The last ancestor I can find is John Welch Laird of Colliston but, I dont think that is correct because the dates are not right. They say that his son John Welch of Irongray is his son, and hus son is John Welch of Ayr, but if the dates are not right, which they are not, then this is most likely not correct either. I saw up there the surname of Wales. I wonder about that. If you can help I would greatly appriciate it.
Hi Lloyd, I wish I could help but I research what surnames mean and how the tribe or people got those names. I look at where names are derived from and they are almost endless: nicknames, physical attributes, counties, trades, heraldic charges, and almost every object known to mankind. This involves looking at lists of names and putting together just the list I have, took months of my time. but what you are asking is something entirely different. - I do not trace family trees.
Surnames were not invented until later on in history in the late 1000's but did catch on everywhere on much later after the 1400's surnames were still being developed. So Im very sorry, I cannot help you in this matter.
Good luck in your search. Here is what i do know - New surnames continued to be formed long after 1400, and immigrants brought in new ones. Many Irish and Highland Scottish names derive from Gaelic personal names, as do those of the Welsh, who only began to adopt the English system of surnames following the union of the two countries in 1536. But in my research, it is is all too far back to be helpful in researching family origins
Welsh means - foreigner which would describe those who were either stranger", "Roman", "Romance-speaker", or "Celtic-speaker". The name itself makes one wonder what the original person or tribe was. Welch which was used by the ancient Germanic peoples to describe inhabitants of the former Roman Empire, who were largely romanised and spoke Latin or Celtic languages.
Welch is spelling for England or (Anglo-Saxon) Ireland = Walsh. Scotland = Welsh. German = Welsch.
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