The following information is from an article in the Ancestry Daily News. It
was posted to another mail list to which I belong. I found it interesting
and hope it is helpful to some of you.
Alice Benson descendant of
Leona Marie Carnahan (paternal grandmother)
David Slater Carnahan
James Clark Carnahan
James Carnahan
=============================================================
"INVESTIGATING IRISH SURNAMES," by Sherry Irvine, B.A., CGRS, FSA
Scot
=============================================================
Each time my online course gets underway I notice the same thing--
most people starting Irish research have had little or no experience
with surname variants. They have been spelling their name one way all
their lives, their parents did the same, and the consistent use of
one spelling may go back beyond that. The idea that names have
different spellings is new and the apparently unrelated variants of
some Irish names come as a surprise. There is plenty of evidence in
print, on the Internet, and on CD that can help anyone learn more
about Irish surnames, particularly one's own family names. This
article reviews the most useful and most accessible resources.
For years I have turned to resources that are in print--"Surnames of
Ireland," by Edward MacLysaght (Dublin, 1973), and "Surnames in
Ireland," by Robert Matheson (originally published 1901 and 1909,
reprinted in one volume, GPC 1994, presently out of print).
MacLysaght is quite possibly the greatest authority on Irish names.
He has written several books, including the basic surname dictionary
noted above. Its brief introduction neatly answers many novices'
questions. The most common ones are about the use of Mc and Mac (not
indicative of Scottish names) and O (added to some names in error in
the 1800s).
MacLysaght also comments on name variants, making reference to my
other favorite resource, "Surnames in Ireland." This publication is
two books in one. The first part is a long table of statistics based
on the registration of births in all of Ireland in 1890. All surnames
for which five or more registrations were made are listed. For each
name there are six columns: the total registered, number registered
in each of the four provinces, and notes on the counties in which
each name was principally found. The second part presents a list of
names with variant forms and includes four fascinating, and sometimes
amusing, chapters on spelling, contractions, interchangeable names,
English and Gaelic forms, etc. This section includes a comprehensive
index to all name variants.
The core facts of these two publications, and lots of additional
information, can be found online, and on CD-ROM and, I must admit,
playing with the electronic forms is fun. At the online site for the
Irish Times (
http://www.ireland.com/ancestor/ ), one of three main
options is to find out more about a surname; type a name into the
field and click on 'go.' The result is a page presenting a summary of
the number of times the name appears as head of a household in each
county in Griffith's Primary Valuation, a property survey carried out
between 1848 and 1864. There are many more names here than in
Matheson's book. On the left is a list of up to four other options
(not all are available for all names): coat of arms, family history
publications, 1890 distribution (based on Matheson), and surname
history.
The Griffith's information is presented in a small map and in a
table. If you want to see details for how often a name appears in
each parish of one county then an $8 payment is required. There is
another feature of the Griffith's distribution survey: a second
surname can be added to see in what counties two names appear
together. There is an $8 charge to find out the parishes in which the
names appear together.
These electronic formats stem from the work of John Grenham, hence
the title of the CD-ROM, Grenham's Irish Surnames (Eneclann, 2003); a
'tour' of the CD is at their website:
http://www.eneclann.ie
If you are interested in several Irish surnames it is a better value;
all the features of the website are here (both free and paid) and the
CD costs about the same as five paid items online. The CD layout is
easy to use; in my opinion it is a better format than that of the
website. The data is clearly presented in tables and maps. The
simplicity is appealing, as is the visual presentation; it really
helps to see the facts that the name distribution surveys of
Griffith's and Matheson's work reveal.
As for improvements, on the CD and at the website I would prefer
better contrast in the text areas (e.g., surname background
information) and some text could be larger. There should be some
explanation about how the CD and the website handle name variants;
also, I wonder whether a wild card option might be helpful.
Experimentation suggests that the main variants are found; e.g., type
in Grean and you get Green (the main form) grouped with several other
variants. Another box shows what variants are not included in the
survey. Sometimes the variants appear separately; e.g., those in
surname explanations. Thornton is a variant of Drennan but if you do
not read all the detail you will not discover this; these names must
be searched for separately and the connection is not up front.
The CD and the website are fun and useful. Griffith's survey
information and the maps are great features. I know, however, that I
will not part with my books. Not only do I enjoy the extra detail,
but Matheson in print, with its extensive list of variants and
excellent index, ensures that you will find all related names.
____________________________________________________________________
Copyright 1998-2003,
MyFamily.com, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Reprinted by permission from the "Ancestry Daily News"