Gaelic, Norse and English Eras
During the first era of recorded history the island was occupied by Celtic speaking peoples. Irish missionaries later Christianised the island. During the era of Norse rule, Old Norse speaking settlers intermarried with the Gaelic speaking native population. In this way Norse personal names were found their way into common use by the Manx. During the influence of English domination, many surnames were introduced to the island. Some of these names were translated into the native language of the island. However, the use of the English language on the island meant that many Manx surnames became Anglicised or Englished. Immigration from Ireland brought Hiberno-Norman surnames to the island as well.
Read more about this topic: Manx Surnames
Famous quotes containing the words norse, english and/or eras:
“Carlyle has not the simple Homeric health of Wordsworth, nor the deliberate philosophic turn of Coleridge, nor the scholastic taste of Landor, but, though sick and under restraint, the constitutional vigor of one of his old Norse heroes.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The English may not like music, but they absolutely love the noise it makes.”
—Thomas Beecham (1879–1961)
“The nineteenth century is a turning point in history, simply on account of the work of two men, Darwin and Renan, the one the critic of the Book of Nature, the other the critic of the books of God. Not to recognise this is to miss the meaning of one of the most important eras in the progress of the world.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)