ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2913
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2913
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2 Sep 2004
From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael 

Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel!

You wanted to know if <Caitili/n inghean Chon Mheadha> and <Seamus 
mac Cuinn> are appropriate names for an Irish Gaelic woman and man 
living in the first half the 16th century.  (In this letter we'll use 
the slash to represent an acute accent over the previous letter).  
You also wanted to know what forms these names would have taken in 
English.  Here is the information we have found.

The names that you've chosen are perfect.  We found <Caitili/n> in 
1411, 1486, 1506, 1527, 1530, 1568, 1582, and 1592. [1]  It is a 
Gaelic adaptation of the English name <Cateline>. [2]  <Se/amus> 
(note accent), a Gaelic adaptation of the English <James>, we find in 
1398, 1405, 1448, 1463, 1467, 1484, 1486, 1502, 1511, 1519, 1567, 
1581, and 1608. [1,2]

The byname <inghean Chon Mheadha> means 'daughter of Cu/ Mheadha', 
which we find as a given name in 1492 and 1587. [1]  The change from
<Cu/ Mheadha> to <Chon Mheadha> is the result of Gaelic requirements.
[3]  <mac Cuinn> means 'son of Conn', and we find <Conn> as a given
name in 954, 994, 1014, 1017, 1033, 1034, 1070, 1100, 1167, 1201,
1202, 1257, 1497, and 1559.  Again, the change from <Conn> to <Cuinn>
is a result of Gaelic grammatical requirements. [4]

It is quite likely that a Gaelic woman named <Caitili/n> would have 
been known in English as <Cateline> or <Catherine>. [5]  Similarly, a 
man named <Se/amus> would likely have been known in England as 
<James>. [2]

While we did not find any examples of <mac Cuinn> recorded in English 
in your period, we found examples of the clan byname <O/ Cuinn>: 
<Queyn>, <Qwyn>, <O Quyn>, <O Quine> and <O Coyne>. [6,7]  In English 
records of other <mac X> bynames from your period, <mac> is often 
rendered as <M'> or <Mc> (where the <c> is superscripted). [6,8] 
Thus, something like <M'Quyn> is a reasonable English form of <mac Cuinn>.

Likewise, we did not find any examples of <inghean Chon Mheadha> in 
English in your period, but we did find examples of the masculine 
form <mac Con Mheadha> [7]: <M'Conmea>, <M'Conmay>, <M'Convea>, 
<M'Convey>, <M'Convay>, <M'Conwaie>, <M'Nema>.  In other English
records from your period, <inghean> is recorded as <ny>, <Ny>, or
<nyn>. [9,10]  Substituting any of these for <M'> in the English
spellings just listed will result in a fine English form of <inghean
Chon Mheadha>.

In sum, <Se/amus mac Cuinn> and <Caitili/n inghean Chon Mheadha> are 
fine 16th-century Gaelic names.  In English, these may have been 
<James M'Quyn> and <Catherine Ny Convay> (or any of the variations 
cited above).

We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you won't 
hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have 
further question.  Research and commentary on this letter was 
provided by Arval Benicoeur, Juliana de Luna, Mari neyn Brian, 
Effrick neyn Kenneoch, Talan Gwynek, and Ursula Georges.

For the Academy,
-Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 02 September 2004

--
References:

[1] Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals" (WWW: 
Academy of S. Gabriel, 2001-2002).
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/ 

[2] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ 
(Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). s.nn. Caitili/n, Se/amus

[3] Two in particular:  The first is putting the name into the 
genitive (possessive) case, e.g. <Con Mheadha>.  This is analogous to 
the change from <John> to <John's> in English.  The second is 
lenition, a softening of the initial consonant, which gives the final 
<Chon Mheadha>.

[4] In this case, just the change from the nominative to the genitive 
case.  Masculine patronymic bynames (ones based on the bearer's 
father's given name) are not lenited.

[5] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian 
Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988).  s.n. 
Catherine

[6] _Annala Rioghachta Eireann: Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by 
the Four Masters from the Earliest period to the Year 1616_ edited 
from MSS. in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy and of Trinity 
College, Dublin with a translation by John O'Donovan, VII Volumes 
(Hodges, Smith, and Co: Dublin, 1854), volume 5, pp. 1651-1652, 10 
Feb 1570

[7] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and 
Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation). p. 489 s.nn. 
Mac Conmeadha, O/ Cuinn

[8] ibid, throughout.

[9] _Annala Rioghachta Eireann_, op. cit., vol. 6, pp. 2446 has in
1639 <Joane ny Teige>, <Ellen ny Teige>, <Eilene ny Teige>, and Shilie
ny Teige> as daughters of <Teige Donovane>, and in 1629 has <Juane Ny
Teige O'Donovane>, daughter of <Teige O'Donovane>, and <Juan Ny
Morough Donovane>, daughter of <Morough Donovane>.

[10] Ewen, C. L'Estrange, _A History of Surnames of the British Isles_
(London: Kegan Paul, Trench, 1931; Detroit: Gale Research Company,
1968). pp. 210-211 has, from 1603-1604:

Evelin ne Morishe, spinster
Marie ny Dowda, widow
Honor nyn Donnell McSwiny of Mossanglassy
Onore nyn Dermot O'Rian More Voy of Tolleraght, spinster