Saturday, July 18, 2009

What’s in a name?

To learn about the origins of your surname check out this website, The Internet Surname Database.

My surname is Carroll.

This interesting and long-established surname, of Irish origin, is an Anglicized form of the name "O'Cearbhaill", a byname for a butcher or a fierce warrior, deriving from "cearbh", hacking. Warrior

There were six distinct septs of O'Carroll in Ireland, namely in Counties Kerry, Offaly, Monaghan, Tipperary, Leitrim and Louth. Carroll has a high position in the list of most numerous surnames in Ireland, approximately sixteen thousand, which range from Counties Cork, Tipperary and Waterford, to Kilkenny.

My given name Louise also means warrior so I guess you could say that I am someone not to be messed with. 

7 comments:

  1. Let me say that is a lovely picture of you. I thought it was winter in NZ? You seem a little under dressed.

    My surname hasn't been researched yet they said. I did my married name which is English and guess what it means English.

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  2. Someone not to be messed with?

    I think I already knew that!

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  3. My birth name was Wells, which is british. BUT my birth family was aboriginal, from Northern British Columbia, so Wells must be like having a "slave name"...

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  4. Lori it was quite a warmish day yesterday and swinging that darn axe all day is hard work so I needed to strip down :-)

    Lol Bob - you got that right!

    Kate, or maybe an anglicised version of the aboriginal name?

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  5. interesting post. My dad did a lot of research into our family tree and placed us in Ireland. I'm 5th Generation Floridian my grand kids are 7th. We never lived north of the mason dixion line. (both side of the family) It is nice to read postings by internationals.

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  6. By the way, that outfit is bitchin'

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  7. I'm a first generation kiwi on my mums side and third generation on dad's side Punch so I don't have to look too far back to figure where I came from.

    BTW thanks re the outfit - I'm wearing it again today. Actually it's my only outfit.

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