names of Irish speakers

[Ghostwheel]

I've always been confused on one point: how far did the Anglicization of names really go?  Was it mostly just the spelling that changed in areas that retained the Irish language?

For instance, would a man in church records named "John", probably really be called "Sean?"  And was this at all true of surnames too?

On a related note: is Helen the same name as Ellen?  I mean, would anyone named "Helen" possibly be called "Ellen", or vice-versa?  Or might the confusion stem from the name really being Eileen, and the priest Anglicizing or Latinizing it?

I'd be interested in any thoughts about the topic.

[heywood]

A couple of related articles here

https://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Irish-first-names.html

http://www.from-ireland.net/irish-first-names/

[Maiden Stone]

A recent article on surnames on the Irish genealogy website Ireland Reaching Out.
IrelandXO Insight - Irish Surnames 101
Cen sloine ata ort? What's your surname?

Practices in Ireland around 1900 in this account written by the Registrar General of Ireland. He also gives a brief history of Anglicization of surnames and a list.
"Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland" by Robert E. Matheson, published Dublin 1901. Available to read on the Internet Archive https://archive.org

[Maiden Stone]

Robert E. Matheson, while Assistant Registrar General, wrote "Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with notes as to numerical strength, derivation, ethnology and distribution", published in Dublin 1894. Available on the Internet Archive.

[dublin1850]

Eileen would usually be anglicised as 'Elizabeth' rather than Ellen.

[aghadowey]

Ellen, Helen & Eileen all forms of same name- sometimes appear in old R.C. registers as Helena. Ellen more commonly used in Ireland but Helen commonly used after move to Scotland or in Scottish records. Suspect that form Eileen wouldn't have been very common until fairly recent times.

[Jill Eaton]

I've always been confused on one point: how far did the Anglicization of names really go?  Was it mostly just the spelling that changed in areas that retained the Irish language?

For instance, would a man in church records named "John", probably really be called "Sean?"  And was this at all true of surnames too?

On a related note: is Helen the same name as Ellen?  I mean, would anyone named "Helen" possibly be called "Ellen", or vice-versa?  Or might the confusion stem from the name really being Eileen, and the priest Anglicizing or Latinizing it?

I'd be interested in any thoughts about the topic.

I've found that the names a child is registered with are sometimes not use but their baptismal name is used as an alternative, especially if it's the difference between an "official" document or a more general one. For example, my great aunt Anna was actually registered as Hannah but her catholic baptism name was Anna and that's how she was always known in the family.

Ellen was noted as "Helen" on the 1871 census

Cornelius was noted as "John" on the 1881 census. I'm not sure if this was an alterative version or whether he shortened his name to "Con" and was mis-heard as John by the enumerator

Another ancestor was registered as Hannah Mary, was Hannora on her catholic baptism and was recorded on various census' as Hannorah or sometimes Norah

Apparently Johanna can also be shortened to Anna.

[dublin1850]

Johanna can appear as Judith and Julia. Some parts of the country had their own local 'pet' versions of names. Johanna/Judith/Julia is found in Laois/Tipperary.

[heywood]

I spent a long time looking for our Julia - she was found as Johanna on both registration and baptism.