Manx Surnames - Patronymics and The Loss of The Prefix Mac

Patronymics and The Loss of The Prefix Mac

Patronymic names were formed by the use of the Gaelic prefix Mac to the father's name. The "Irish" O never took root among Manx names. By the early 16th century the Mac prefix was almost universally used on the island, however by the 17th century it had almost completely disappeared. The pronunciation of the prefix mac was unstressed, so that the final consonant became first consonant in the second element of the name (the father's personal name). When the Mac prefix fell out of use the final consonant became the first sound of the surname. Because of this, many Manx names characteristically begin with the letters C, K, or Q. Patronymic forms of personal names beginning with element Giolla "servant of" (example: MacGillchrist) went under a transformation of their own. The prefix Mac and the element Giolla were contracted into Myley. For example, MacGillchrist became Mylechreest or Mylchreest.

Prior to the mid-17th century there many instances of female surnames using the prefix Ine, a Gaelic contraction meaning "daughter," cognate to the Irish prefixes Ní and Nic and Scottish Gaelic Nic, derived from iníon "daughter". From the mid-17th century onwards the prefix generally fell out of use, though Inney survived as a Christian name for a century afterwards. According to J. J. Kneen, there are several instances of feminine surnames using Ine as late as the early 19th century.