MacCotter

The mighty Clan MacCotter represented here by Lord Sean, Seneschal of MacCotter. Although Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames, the Strongbownians brought many of their own naming traditions to the island. There were, however, similarities between the two systems. The Strongbownians, like the Irish, frequently used patronymic surnames, a form of surname that was built from the name of the initial bearer's father, or another older relative. Norman patronymic names, because they were originally formed in French, were often created by the addition of a diminutive suffix to the given name, such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el. These Stronbownians also created patronymic names by the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, which both mean son. . The Strongbownian surname of MacCotter is derived from the popular Norse personal name Oitir. The Gaelic forms of the surname MacCotter are Mac Coitir and Mac Oitir.