Irish Translation Forum

One more to challenge your talents, please!

My surname is Ward, I have been told on numerous occasions that the translation is either "Mac an Bháird" or "Clann an Bháird". Can anyone clarify the difference between the two and let me know which is the proper translation into Irish?

Thanks!

dinger wrote:One more to challenge your talents, please!

My surname is Ward, I have been told on numerous occasions that the translation is either "Mac an Bháird" or "Clann an Bháird". Can anyone clarify the difference between the two and let me know which is the proper translation into Irish?

Thanks!

I think the first one you have is right (I have relatives with that name and have seen it written with and without the fada/accent on the a). The second one would basically mean "the Ward family."

An tOileánach

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dinger wrote:One more to challenge your talents, please!

My surname is Ward, I have been told on numerous occasions that the translation is either "Mac an Bháird" or "Clann an Bháird". Can anyone clarify the difference between the two and let me know which is the proper translation into Irish?

Thanks!

"Clann" (meaning child/descendant) is never used in surnames. The prefix is "Mac" -- "son" ("Nic" -- "daughter" -- for a woman's maiden name) or "Ó" -- "grandson/descendent" ("Ní" -- "daughter" -- for a woman's maiden name)

Mac an Bhaird (no accent on the "a") -- Nic an Bhaird, if you're a woman -- is the Irish surname that was Anglicized to "Ward." That's assuming you come from that family, of course. There are also English "Wards," and those don't have an Irish form, because they weren't Anglicized from the Irish name.

It literally translates, if you're curious, to "son/daughter of the bard."

Redwolf