surname change

[Forfarian]

This " Black's Surnames." is it an actual book that can be accessed or purchased, if so, where could it be located.

Yes. The full title is 'The Surnames of Scotland' by G F Black, published 1946.

It's usually available in good bookshops in Scotland, but if it's out of print there are plenty of second-hand copies at www.abebooks.com

[susan ault]

Pauline Hi
Sorry been away.
We are led to believe our McDonalds used the name McKeallaich and they are only found in Lismore or kilninian & Kilmore. The dates and some names appear to follow the Scottish naming practice and appear to be a possible fit for my ancestors. There are six other researchers who I have never met who are researching the same families they also believe these are Highly probable to be our family line. We do have a marriage that we know for sure is our peeps and they use the name McKealliach and not the expected McDonald.

Sue

[John Andrew Hutchison]

Hi Sue,

MacCellach and MacKelloch are listed as sept names for Clan Donald on Wikipedia, (as is my surname);

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Septs_of_Clan_Donald

I also have McAinsh/Mccaish/Mactavish in my tree who switched to Campbell around 1800. My guess is it could have something to do with English supplanting Gaelic. The formal Gaelic names could be quite long, containing the father's name, the grandfather's, the sept name, the clan name, and possibly a descriptive name like big, or red. I think after 1745, or maybe earlier, documents had to use anglicised versions, often with variable spelling. Maybe when some families started to always use the anglicised version they reverted to the clan, rather than sept. But that's just a guess.

John.

[raonull4]

Hi
   name changing in the early 1700s was common,
ie mackenzie to macintyer, macallister to macindoer
and many more this happened to avoid capture
during and after the jacobite rebelion

[raonull4]

the name McKeallaich is also used on mull
and being researched by a few macdonalds

[susan ault]

Thank you
all this information is of interest to me.
It is only recently I found distant relatives whose family stayed in touch with the Scottish side of the family. Made my day when they confirmed I had been researching the correct family in Ballachulish. I wonder why then did they go back to using McDonald, do you think it was when the names were no longer disallowed  (is this the right word).

Sue

[Skoosh]

The only name proscribed, & long before that time, was MacGregor. Surnames only became necessary to appear on a rent-roll or join the army. The Gaels had little use for them & used a patronymic.

Skoosh.

[Rosinish]

Surnames only became necessary to appear on a rent-roll or join the army. The Gaels had little use for them & used a patronymic.

Still evident today, people are never referred to by surname, usually patronymic or by occ./nickname etc.

Geoff...generally speaking, people were referred to in different ways to differentiate same names although it may not make sense to us on paper from bygone days, ways of referring to people in small communities made sense to them at the time.

I think your capitals regarding "NO ANSWERS" to your queries is a bit harsh simply because this is a free site with people giving help/asking for help, we're not an authority on anything but you may want to search out an experienced Historian & pay the earth for the answers you seek?

Annie