The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent., 1850-05-17
Family Nomenclature.

names." Those who sof1tend Tor the nom
identity of the two wGds, assert that al
though every sir-nameis surname, every
surname is not a sr-name-sa question
which | shall not tary to discuss.
The Highlanders & Scotland employed
the sir.hame with Iac, and hence our
Macdonalds, MacCarbs-meanng respec-
lively, the son of D,nald and of Arthur.
The Irish had the Practice probably de-
rived from the patrirchal ages) of prefix
ing Oy or 0, signfying grGadson-as
O'Hara. O'Neal-a brm still retained IN
many Hibernian surnames.
1t is related in the Encyclopedia Por-
thensis, that an antiq1ated Scottish dame
used to make it a matter Of boastihg, that
she had trod the worli's stage long enough
to possess one hundred Oyes.
Many of the Irish llso use Mac. Ac-
cording to the following dBtich, the titles
Mac and O. are not merely what the To-
gicians call accidents, but altogether essen
tiaI to the very being and substance of an
Irishman:
"Per Mac atque o. tu veros cDgnoscis Hibernos
His duobus demptis, nullus Hibernus adest."
Which has been transhted:
"By Mac and o,
You'll always know
True lrishmen, tley say,
For if they lack
Both o. and Mac,
No lrishmen are they"
The old Normans prefmd to their mans
the word "Fitz,' corruption of Fills, and
that derived from the Latin Tilius; as
Fitz Hammond, Fitz Gilbert. The pea
santry of Russia, who are some centuries
behind the same class in other countries,
afiix the termination "Nitz," (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
Petro1csky, James, the son of Peter.
Until comparatively recent period, nc
surnominal adjunct was used in Wales
beyond ap, or son, as David-ap-HoUeH
Evan dp-HosceH, Griffith-op-Roger, John.
dp-Richard, now very naturally corrupted
INTO PoaOeH. Price, Prodgcr, and Pritch-
ard 1t was not unusual, even but cen.
tury back to hear of such combinations as
Eyan-ap-Griffith ap-David-ap-Jenkin, and
SO on to the seventh or eighth generation
so that an individual carried his pedigree
in his name. The following cusious de
scription of Wrlshman occurs Is Henry
3: "Mofgane Philip alias dicto Morgant
vap-David vap-Phil;p"
ThA Church oc Llangollen, ! WI !.
said TO be dedicated to st Collen-ap-Gwyn
nawg Observation-Disclosures
doc 5c-Freichiras-ap-L Llynn-Merim-ap-Emiol
Yrth-ap-Cunedda Wiedig, a name tha
casts that of the Dutchman, IakUeGUhnUod
Sdorshanckinkdduachdefn, into the shade
To burlesque this ridiculous specie
of nomenclature, some eseventeenth-centur,
wag described cheese as being
adams own cousn-germm by its birth.
Ap-Curds-ap- -Milk-ap- Cow-ap- -Grass-ap-Earth.
An Englishman, riding one dark nigh
among the mountains, heard cry of dis
tress. proceeding apparently from ma
who had fallen into ratine near the high
way, and on listening more attentively
heard the words, Help, master, help" i
a voice truly Cambrian. Help! what
Who are you!" inquired the traveller
"Jenkih-ap-G p-Griffith-ap Robin-ap-W ifliam
ap-Rees-ap-Evan." wasthe response. LII
zy felloacs that ye be- . rejoined the Enc
lishman, setting spurs to his horse, "to Ii
rolling in that hole, hef dozen Of y
whip, in the name of common sense, don
We help one another oct?"