The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1849-12-06
Family Nomenclature.

Family Nomenclature.
An English work with the above title,
has been issued by Mark Anthony Lower,
which contains curious information. We
give an extract below.
Of sur names, Du Cange says, they
were at first written, not in a direct line
Gtter the Christian name, but above it, be-
t1cee7a the lines, and hence they were call
ed in Latin, setpra5l0miaau, in Italia su-
pr01aOnae, and in French sor7aoms-sover
Names Those who contend for the non
identity of the two words, assert that, al
though every sir-name is a surname every
surname Is not sir-name-a question
which shall not tarry to discuss.
The Highlanders of Scotland employed
the sire name with Mac and hence our
Macdonalds, and Maccartys-meaning re-
spectively, the son of Donald and of Ar
thur. The Irish had the practice (proba-
oily derived from the patriarchal ages,) of
P prefxing Oy or o, signifying grandson
AS O'Hara O'Neale; form still retain
ed in many Hibernia surnames.
1t is related in the Encyclopedia Per-
thensis, that an antiquated Scottish dame
used to make it matter Of boasting, that
she had trod the worlds stage long enough
to possess one hundred oyes.
Many Of the Irish also use Mac Ac-
cording to the following dlstich, the titles
Mac and - are not merely what the logi-
clans call accidents, but altogether essen
tial to the very being and substance of an
Irishman:
Per Mac atque 0, tn veros cognoscis Hibernos
His duo1us don2;is, nullus Hibernus adest.
Which has been translanted:
"By Mae and o.
You'll always know
True Irshmon, they say
For If they lack
Both O. and Mac,
No irishmen are they
The old Normans prefxed to their
names the word 'Fjtz,' corruption of
Fills, and that derived from the Latin
Filius, as Fitz-Hamon, Fitz-GIlbert.--
The peasanry of Russia, who are some
centuries behind the same class III other
countries, afiix the termination Of Witt
(which seems to have some affinity to the
Norman Fitz) to their names; thus. Peter
Paulowitz, for Peter. the son of Paul.
The Poles employ Sky in the same sense,
as James PetrOWsky, James the son of
Peter.
Until comparatively recent period, no
surnominal adjunct was used in Wales,
beyond ap, or son, as David-ap-H0UeU,
Evan-ap-Rhys, Griffith-ap-ROger, John
ap-Richard, now very naturally corrupted
into PoaoeH, Price, Prodger, and Pritch-
ard. 1t was not unusual even but CEN
tury back to hear of such combinations as
Evan ap Griffith ap David ap Jenkin, and
so on the seventh or eighth generation, so
that an individual carried his pedigree in
his name. The following curious des-
8; 'Morgane Phillip alias dicto Morgane
Phillip alias dicto Morgane vap-David
vap-Phillip.'
The church of Llangollen, in Wales, is
said to be dedicated to S. Collen ap Gwy-
mawg ap Clyndawg ap Courda ap Cara
doc-Freic hfas ap Llynn-Merin ap Einion-
Yrth ap Cunedda-W Wledig, a name that
casts that of the Dutchman, hakUeTva,a-
Observation-Disclosures, into the
shade.
TO burlesque this ridiculous species of
nomenclature, some seventeenth-century
wag described cheese as being
'Adam's own cousin german by bi rth,
Ap Curds- Milk ap-Grass- ap- Earth.''
An Englishman riding one dark night
among the mountains, heard cry of dis
tress proceeding apparently from man
who had fallen into rayine near the
highway. and on listening more attentive
ly, heard the words, Help master, help
in voice truly Cambrean. Help! what
Who are your inquired the traveller.
'Jenkin ap Griffith ap Robin ap William
ap Rees ap Evan, was the response. Lazy
fello,Os, that ye be-, rejoined the English
man, setting spurs to his horse, 'to lie
rolling in that hole, hay a dozen Of ye,
why, in the name of common sense, don't
ye help one another Out?'
good man can never be miserable nor