There are names that I know are Irish or Scotch-Irish like McFaddon, McElroy etc. What are some other names that can be identified.
"edder" at the end of a name would be German right?
Tips and information please!
2007-02-10 06:25:28 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
Names ending in "dottir" or "son" are usually Scandinavian, esp. Icelandic, as they still use the father's name as the last name with 'daughter' or 'son', as in John's son = Johnsson, or John's daughter = Johnsdottir. This was common in many languages at one time. Lithuanian names often end in "-itis", as in Vyts Bylitis, or '-as,' as in Gladys Veidemanas, et al. Names ending in "-ian" are often Armenian. Names ending in "-as" may often be Greek. "Van..." names are often Dutch. Names ending in "-vich" (son of) are often Russian or Slavic. Longish names ending in "-korn" are often Thai. Names beginning with "Nb" or "Nm" etc. are often east African (Bantu people, I believe). Names beginning with "Ng" are more likely to be Vietnamese, as in "Nguyen." Hmong names are very short, often ending in a vowel (including '-ng'), such as "Hlee," "Choua," "Moua," "Cha," "Vang," etc. although some have re-taken longer Thai-sounding names.
2007-02-10 06:32:41 · answer #1 · answered by Calli 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Common myth on this board...
Knowing where a NAME originated means that your ancestor/family came from there.
Wrong wrong wrong.
John McIrish could have been born and raised in South Africa, along with his parents and grandparents. Then moved to America. You could spin your wheels for 50 yrs, trying to find his birth record in Ireland.
To find a country of "origin" you have to find records of that individual, not just the name. Unless all you want is a vague idea about a label, that goes back some 500 yrs or more and may not be your family at all.
2007-02-10 18:59:44 · answer #2 · answered by wendy c 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kowalski is decidedly Polish
van Wert is Dutch
-ninen is a Finnish suffix for surnames, as in Pinninen and Manninen
-hofer is Germanic, but seen in many German-speaking countries
-velt is Dutch
names with "-dit-" and "-dite" between two surnames are old French, as in Ignace Tessier-dit-Lavigne.
2007-02-10 08:59:47 · answer #3 · answered by GenevievesMom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was told many years ago that the way to recognize a Chinese name as opposed to other Asian countries is that Chinese names are almost always One Syllable.
Not sur eif this still applies. I do know tht if the name is Ngyuen, it is Vietnames. As common as SMith and Jones in the U.S.
2007-02-10 06:50:30 · answer #4 · answered by smileymduke 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sch at the beginning - most likely German
Ez at the end- Spanish or latin american
Es at the end- Portuguese
v or va at the end - often Russian
2007-02-10 09:43:25 · answer #5 · answered by Megan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
O' is an Irish prefix
There's a VERY helpful page with the following:
Surname Suffixes
Ever wonder what the difference in the (sur)names of Rockland, Rockport and Rockville meant?
Ever think that the ending of your ancestral surname(s) might be a clue to their original nationality?
Visit our list below and find out! If yours is not on the list, contact us at newyorkancestry@aol.com
SUFFIX MEANING NATIONALITY
bach brook German
baum tree German
berg mountain German
blad leaf Norwegian
blad leaf Swedish
blatt leaf German
bo farm Norwegian
borg castle Swedish
born stream German
borough, brough fort English
brecht bright German
bury, berry fort English
by farm, village English
by farm, village Norwegian
dahl valley Swedish
ford ford, crossing English
gard ford, crossing Danish
gard ford Norwegian
grave, grove grove English
gren branch Swedish
hardt, hart, hard hard, firm German
haus house German
heim home German
holm river island Swedish
land land English
land farm, or par of Scandinavian
leigh, ley, ly meadow, vale English
lof, love leaf, heather Swedish
lund grove Swedish
man servant of … English
mark field Swedish
ness cape, headland English
olf wolf, fame German
olph wolf, fame English
ova daughter of… Russian
quist twig Swedish
rop, rup farm, village English
ski of the nature of; son of Polish
ski, ska of the nature of; son of Czech
ski, ska of the nature of; son of… Russian
stad farm, place Danish
stad farm, place Norwegian
stad farm, place Scandinavian
stein stone German
strom stream Swedish
thal valley German
thorpe farm, village English
ton town English
wahl, vall field Swedish
wich dwelling English
wiec one who (does something) Polish
win friend English
worth homestead English
Wiki also has an article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surname
One caveat: sometimes spelling and pronunciation changes so that it appears to have originated somewhere else entirely.
2007-02-10 06:33:39 · answer #6 · answered by princessmikey 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ovitch at the end of a name is Russian.
2007-02-10 08:34:32 · answer #7 · answered by Mary Lou 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mc,irish
Mac,scotch
ian at the end is armenian
2007-02-10 06:35:57 · answer #8 · answered by stormy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
if it starts with Mc its Irish
2007-02-10 06:32:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
ski's are polish, O'Names are Irish,
2007-02-10 06:29:58 · answer #10 · answered by IrishEyes84 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋