Manx surnames are those which originate from the Isle of Man. Over time other surnames have appeared due to immigration, however these are not referred to as true Manx surnames. A majority of Manx surnames are patronymic, referencing the child's father's name, however there are many other examples, such as those based on the father's occupation. The names are a mixture of Gaelic, Norse and English influence and, as is commonly seen, many have changed spelling drastically over time. It is these changes in structure and spelling that can make Manx surnames particularly challenging to trace. For example, someone by the surname of Kewin today may have their surname originating in the names of Quagan and MacQuiggan as they go further back in time. It helps to understand how these names evolved to ensure you are tracing the right line.
The son of a blacksmith may have been given the surname 'Mac Gobhann', meaning 'son of the smith'Patronymic- A surname derived from a child’s father’s name and by far the most common type of surname to originate from the Isle of Man. Originally 'Mac' was added to a man's name to mean 'son of', such as 'MacAlastair', however by the 17th century many of the Mac's had been dropped. In it's place was a new name, in this example 'Callister'. Another popular example is the surname Quayle which originated from the Gaelic surname of 'MacPhail', meaning son of Paul. The Manx patronymic surnames are therefore not as easy to spot as they are in some other countries.
Names beginning 'Myl'- Unique to the Isle of Man are surnames beginning with Myl, commonly referred to as the Seven Mollys. These names stem from their original Gaelic form where 'Myl' is a prefix for 'MacMaol' or 'MacGiolla', which in English today translates to 'son of the servant of'. One popular example is Mylchreest which can be translated to mean 'son of the servant of Christ'.
Occupational- There are occupational surnames originating from the Isle of Man albeit less commonly seen than the above examples. Occupational Manx names originally took a Gaelic form, such as 'MacGobhann' meaning 'son of the Smith', later shortened to Gawne. The Anglicised equivalent today is McGowen.
Habitational- Habitational names are seen less frequently from the Isle of Man as they are from their surrounding islands but there are some key surnames to note. These are 'Gell', referring to a foreigner (most likely someone who didn't speak Gaelic) and 'MacBreatnaigh' which was later altered to 'Cretney' meaning 'son of the Welshman' or 'son of the Briton'. The latter Anglicised equivalent is McBratney.
Hereditary adoption of Manx surnamesHereditary adoption of Manx surnames
Today, surnames are normally passed from father to child and this has been the case for many generations on the Isle of Man. However, when you get further back in time you will find that surnames changed with each generation. Paul MacAlistair may be the father of Thomas MacPhail for example. There is evidence that the passing on of hereditary surnames as we know it today began in the 12th Century on the Isle of Man, however this was not standardised until the early 15th century. You may therefore find some early records where surnames are not passed from father to son as expected in this period.
Other Issues to ConsiderOther Issues to Consider
The 1824 baptism register for Lezayre, Isle of ManImmigration- Due to the location of the Isle of Man, it is common to find immigrants from England, Wales and Scotland arriving on the island. This became more frequent from the 18th century onwards. You are therefore likely to find names from these influences mixing with Manx surnames and family trees.
Norse Influence- Many Manx surnames shows a strong Norse influence due to the previous Viking residency. These are largely patronymic such as MacKristinn meaning 'son of Christian' and MacThorljot meaning 'son of Thorljot'.
Intermarriage- The Isle of Man is a small island which resulted in a higher prevalence of intermarriage here than in England, Scotland or Wales. This may mean you find cousins with the same surname marrying each other. Remember however that just because two people share a surname this does not mean they are related so both the bride and groom's parentage should always be fully traced.
First Names- There were traditional ways of passing on a person's first name to a child. The first son was named after the paternal grandfather and the first daughter was named after the maternal grandmother. This was not always the case, but was more common on the Isle of Man than surrounding regions. First names are often recorded in their Gaelic form such as Juan for John and Illiam for William.
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