De-Anglicisation of Names

[CelticSire]

Greetings from Texas!

After reading this entire post, let me say that I am both amazed and grateful for the amount of knowledge shared herein. Would you mind if I asked about my grandfather's middle name of Atherton? We've always been told it is Irish in origin, but you know how family tales can be...

[slohairt]

Greetings from Texas!

After reading this entire post, let me say that I am both amazed and grateful for the amount of knowledge shared herein. Would you mind if I asked about my grandfather's middle name of Atherton? We've always been told it is Irish in origin, but you know how family tales can be...

ATHERTON I would say, etymologically speaking, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is derived from Æthelhere's town (settlement). As a note of interest, Æthelhere was a 7th Century King of East Anglia. 'The name means noble lord(?) Alas, Anglo-Saxon is certainly not my forté!

I'll reiterate what I mentioned in an earlier post. A number of Irish surnames are not rooted in the Irish language. It does not mean they are any less Irish. Ask any Fitzgerald or Burke!