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==Surnames== | ==Surnames== | ||
Irish surnames of Gaelic origin were commonly used until England laid claim to Ireland in the fifteenth century. Legislation under English rule led to the anglicization of many Irish names and to the adoption of many English names. Many different forms of Irish surnames resulted. For example, the Irish surname Houlihan or O'Houlihan may have taken on the anglicized form Holland. | *Irish surnames of Gaelic origin were commonly used until England laid claim to Ireland in the fifteenth century. Legislation under English rule led to the anglicization of many Irish names and to the adoption of many English names. Many different forms of Irish surnames resulted. For example, the Irish surname Houlihan or O'Houlihan may have taken on the anglicized form Holland. | ||
*Surname variations also resulted from an Irish form of patronymics that used '''the prefixes "Mac'', meaning son of, and "O," meaning grandson of'''. | |||
*Many descendants of Anglo-Norman invaders, who became assimilated into the Irish culture, also used patronymics but '''substituted "Fitz" (as in Fitzgerald) for the prefix "Mac."''' | |||
*English law, for a period of time, '''forbade the use of O' and Mac' in Irish surnames. Fitz was allowed. Not all members of Irish families chose to conform to English laws, hence several forms of a surname often emerged within a single family.'' | |||
By the end of the nineteenth century, use of prefixes resumed. However, prefixes were added or dropped at will, again producing different surnames within the same family. Irish who emigrated during the nineteenth century often dropped the prefixes in their new countries of residence. | |||
By the end of the nineteenth century, use of prefixes resumed. However, prefixes were added or dropped at will, again producing different surnames within the same family. Irish who emigrated during the nineteenth century often dropped the prefixes in their new countries of residence. | |||
==Given Names== | ==Given Names== | ||