The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-03-09
IRISH NAM ES.
, Pat and Bridget.
John and Mary

John and Mary More Common Than Pat and Bridget
Galveston Tribune.
The people OF America have but little appreciation of
Irish given names said Officer Curtin he blew fresh
Whit of he had just drawn from his Ifyear-od pipe
toward the pasteed ceiling Of the police station The
impression that every other Irish lad given
either the Christian of Patrick, Michael or Dennis
whereas little Of all the lusy lads of Ireland are
dubbed with such Affiliations to their cognomens when they
baptized If should add all the Patricks, all the
Mchaes and all the Dennss in Ireland together and count
every of them he would have many Parcks as
many Mchaels and many Dennses combined he could
find Johns in county John the name OF the rshmen
yet the comic papers refer TO Cet in any way
than as Pat, or Moike, or Dennis.
There is hardly family in Ireland that has not repre-
sentative named John There very few families but have
at least two Johns in the household and when the
households broken by marriage emigration it an
chance that if God spares the head OF the family there
will be three Johns with the same cognomen in the due
Of This OF John is extended to
the animals and in every sly in Ireland there at least
fine pig that when the clarion voices announce
feeding time and calls Johnny, Johnny Johnonon and tic
prize pig will with kindly grun Every pet pony is
known as John and the prize oockere OF the chicken
yard is known John In reality John and the Irish
separable but the average native born American is
hard job to disassocate the Irish from Pat and from Moke
and from Dinnis.
The holds with tho names of girls For every
Nora and for every Katherine and tor every Bridget
find in Ireland counting all total show you
more Marys in one county than you can md girls IN all the
counties OF all the other names Next to the country itself
and the harp of Erin the Irish hold the Mary in the
sacred respect There little Marys where there
is Nora There fifteen Marys where there
Katherine and there twenty Marys where there
Bridget in all Of Ireland Yet if you speak Of Bridget
Of Nora, or of a katherine, the native born
American will sumise you refer the best product
OF 1reland-her ladies.
In Norway they have very peculiar way of naming
offspring. You have and you will know Nor
wegan whose does end with SON and if you will
investigate you will find all about in this fashion
Instead OF taking the Of the father OF the
family all the offspring take his given and add
the SON For instance if Ole Johnson has son and he
names him Hans instead Of being known as Hans Tohn-
SON he is known Hans Olesou As the years fly by
and Hans takes unto himself wife and beges offspring his
offspring will he known Hanson Now let this Hanson
bege offspring and they will be known by his first name
it Peter, or Ole Andrew, with the added dis
tngush from the father Thus single family may have
Mr. Hanson, Mr.. Anderson, Mr.. Oleson and Mr. Peter
son. and they may be father grandfather and great
grandfather
I'll have not yet given sufficient study the way the
Chinese and the Arabs and Soudauce confer names but
when do expect to find still intricate state Of al
fairs"