Irish Translation Forum

Fitz = illegitimate child of

Not really... as far as I know, it just means "son of," and could be applied to kids born on both sides of the blanket.

Abigeál

Richie wrote:

oisin718 wrote:Married women take the genitive of their husband's name, Uí and Mhic respectively.

Since when names were Anglicized it was between the English government (men) and Gaelic chiefs and Hiberno-Norman feudal lords (also men), the male forms were the only ones they cared about

I could be (and most likely am) wrong, but didn't the Celts do things the other way round, with the woman keeping her own surname?

Didn't Conor (Conchubar) mac Nessa of the Red Branch kings who ruled at Emain Macha take his surname from his mother, Nessa , wife of Fergus mac Roy. She was reknowned for skill as a warrior woman and for her craftiness which rendered Fergus an impotent king and swept her son into power. So, some names may have been taken from the mother, particularly if she was famous- but this must have been very rare... And what of sons born without fathers? Cuchulain is said to be the son of Lugh, the god of light- meaning then that he had no earthly father (basically that Dectera didn't know who of the men she slept with was the boy's father). If he left progeny, wouldn't he have been Cuchulain mac Dectera then, after his mother? Sorry, just playing Devil's Advocate

They only surname I can think of that comes from a woman is Greaney.

Greaney is the anglicisation of Ó Gráinne.

Gráinne is of course a well known woman's name.

p.s. wasn't Sualtaimh the father of Setanta?

Abigeál wrote:Not really... as far as I know, it just means "son of," and could be applied to kids born on both sides of the blanket.

Abigeál

In England, a bastard son of a King might have the surname "FitzRoy."

But certainly not all Fitz's were illegitimate. Most were nobility.

Ailill wrote:O'Neal comes from the Irish Ó Néill.

I presume for females that becomes

Ní Néill

Although I've never actually heard it.

Lots of girls at my university use Ní Néill, as did my good friend, and flat mate Carmel.

See also

ftopic42592-30.html

Ailill wrote:

goneal1017 wrote:my name is O'Neal so because i'm not married my name would be Ni Neal? Is that correct?

O'Neal comes from the Irish Ó Néill.

I presume for females that becomes

Ní Néill

Although I've never actually heard it.

if u were married u would be ui neill and ni neill if u werent soz about the fadas as i cant get them to work with linux hope this help i am mag loingsigh and wen i get married my wife will be mhig loingsigh and if we had any daughters they would be nig loingsigh but if i had a son he would stay mag loingsigh hope this helps our names and language are wot make us

Seadeanta, there are some instructions here on getting fadas to work with Linux if you're interested. I found them useful.

What distro do you run? Just curious - SuSE here.

Aibigéal

i use ubuntu but hav tried everything dont no wot i am doing wrong ach go raibh maith agat as sin