12-30-2023, 02:11 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-30-2023, 02:19 AM by rmstevens2.)
The graphic below illustrates how the old Welsh patronymic naming system worked, which shows how a bunch of people of Welsh ancestry can share the same ancestor and yet have different surnames. The gentry began adopting permanent surnames in the 18th century. The common folk did so about a hundred years later. Moving to North America led to the adoption of permanent surnames even earlier, as the old system was more difficult to maintain here.
Originally, each son took his father's first name as a surname along with the prefix ap for "son of". That was modified to ab when the first name began with a vowel, as in ab Owen (Bowen - son of Owen). Later, names like "ap Stephen" became Stephens, "ap John" became Jones, etc. Ap and ab were derived from the older forms Map and Mab. They are the P-Celtic versions of the very recognizable Q-Celtic Mac, for "son of".
Daughters also used their fathers' first names, but with the prefix ferch for "daughter of".
The graphic illustrates the hypothetical example of a man named John Evans who had five sons, each of whom had four sons of his own.
If your ancestry is Welsh and you have a bunch of close Y-DNA matches to men with different Welsh surnames, don't jump to the conclusion that there were multiple NPEs at play. Probably you are just a victim of the old Welsh patronymic naming system.
Originally, each son took his father's first name as a surname along with the prefix ap for "son of". That was modified to ab when the first name began with a vowel, as in ab Owen (Bowen - son of Owen). Later, names like "ap Stephen" became Stephens, "ap John" became Jones, etc. Ap and ab were derived from the older forms Map and Mab. They are the P-Celtic versions of the very recognizable Q-Celtic Mac, for "son of".
Daughters also used their fathers' first names, but with the prefix ferch for "daughter of".
The graphic illustrates the hypothetical example of a man named John Evans who had five sons, each of whom had four sons of his own.
If your ancestry is Welsh and you have a bunch of close Y-DNA matches to men with different Welsh surnames, don't jump to the conclusion that there were multiple NPEs at play. Probably you are just a victim of the old Welsh patronymic naming system.
Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us.
- Wisdom of Sirach 44:1
- Wisdom of Sirach 44:1