Manx surnames are surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

s which originate on the Isle of Man

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

. The general make up of Manx surnames reflects the recorded history of the island, which can be divided into three different eras - Gaelic, Norse, and English. In consequence most Manx surnames are derived from the Gaelic, Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

, and English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 languages. During the first era of recorded history the island was occupied by Celtic speaking peoples. Irish missionaries later Christianised the island. By the 9th century Norse Vikings (generally from Norway) ruled the island. By the 13th century the island became a possession of the Kingdom of Scotland and also at times under the Kingdom of England. In time the island came under direct domination of the English, and as a result became open to immigration from the British mainland.

Very few Manx surnames are recorded prior to the arrival of the Stanleys in 1405. The majority of early surnames are recorded in the Manorial Rolls dating from 1510-1513. More recent sources of surnames are Parish records which began at the beginning of the 17th century.

Arthur William Moore analysed the origin Manx surnames in use at the beginning of the 19th century. Of 170 surnames, about 100 (65 percent) are of Celtic origin, about 30 (17.5 percent) were of Norse-Gaelic origin.

Gaelic, Norse and English eras

During the first era of recorded history the island was occupied by Celtic speaking peoples. Irish missionaries later Christianised the island. During the era of Norse rule, Old Norse speaking settlers intermarried with the Gaelic speaking native population. In this way Norse personal names were found their way into common use by the Manx. During the influence of English domination, many surnames were introduced to the island. Some of these names were translated into the native language of the island. However, the use of the English language on the island meant that many Manx surnames became Anglicised or Englished. Immigration from Ireland brought Hiberno-Norman surnames to the island as well.

Patronymics and the loss of the prefix Mac

Patronymic names were formed by the use of the Gaelic prefix Mac to the father's name. The "Irish" O never took root among Manx names. By the early 16th century the Mac prefix was almost universally used on the island, however by the 17th century it had almost completely disappeared. The pronunciation of the prefix mac was unstressed, so that the final consonant became first consonant in the second element of the name (the father's personal name). When the Mac prefix fell out of use the final consonant became the first sound of the surname. Because of this, many Manx names characteristically begin with the letters C, K, or Q. Patronymic forms of personal names beginning with element Giolla "servant of" (example: MacGillchrist) went under a transformation of their own. The prefix Mac and the element Giolla were contracted into Myley. For example, MacGillchrist became Mylechreest or Mylchreest.

Prior to the mid-17th century there many instances of female surnames using the prefix Ine, a Gaelic contraction meaning "daughter". From the mid-17th century onwards the prefix generally fell out of use, though Inney survived as a Christian name for a century afterwards. According to J. J. Kneen, there are several instances of feminine surnames using Ine as late as the early 19th century.

1986 surname rank by occurrences

The following table shows the top ten surnames found in the 1986 telephone directory on the Isle of Man. The ten names are compared to the 1881 their census ranking.

1986	Surname	1881
1	Kelly	1
2	Corlett Corlett Corlett is a surname of Manx origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Mac Thorliot, derived from an Old Norse personal name composed of two elements: the name Þórr and ljótr meaning "bright". Another opinion is that the Old Norse Þorliótr may mean "Thor-people"...	4
3	Quayle Quayle Quayle is a surname of English, Irish, Manx and Scottish origin.When the name originates from Ireland and Scotland it is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Mac Phàil Mac Phóil meaning "son of Phàil/Phóil". These are Gaelic patronymic forms of the personal name Paul...	2
4	Moore Moore (surname) The name Moore is a popular surname in many English-speaking countries and is of Gaelic/English origin. It is the 31st most common surname in the United Kingdom, and 9th most common in the United States....	7
5	Cain (Caine was 47)	3
6	Christian	5
7	Kneale Kneale Kneale is a surname of Manx origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Mac Néill, meaning "son of Niall".-People:*Bryan Kneale, , Manx, an artist and sculptor.*Matthew Kneale, , British, a writer,...	18
7	Teare Teare -People:*Billy Teare, Manx, a storyteller.*Donald Teare, , British pathologist.*Eddie Teare, , Manx, a Minister of Health and Social Security and member of the House of Keys for Ayre.*Ethel Teare, , American, a silent film actress....	14
9	Clague Clague -People:*Frank Clague, , American, a U.S. Representative from Minnesota.*John J. Clague, , Canadian, an authority in Quaternary and environmental earth sciences.*John Clague, , American artist and sculptor....	6
10	Shimmin Shimmin Shimmin is a surname of Manx origin. The name is derived from the Manx Gaelic McSimeen, meaning "little Simon's son". Early records of the name include, MacSimon in 1366, MacShemine in 1430, and Shimin in 1614.Shimmin may refer to:...	16

1881 surname rank by occurrences

The following table ranks Manx surnames by occurrences in the 1881 census. See footnote for the legend to the table.

Surname	Total	Frequency	Index
Kelly	2118	3.9041	35.6479
Quayle Quayle Quayle is a surname of English, Irish, Manx and Scottish origin.When the name originates from Ireland and Scotland it is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Mac Phàil Mac Phóil meaning "son of Phàil/Phóil". These are Gaelic patronymic forms of the personal name Paul...	1349	2.4866	375.7242
Corlett Corlett Corlett is a surname of Manx origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Mac Thorliot, derived from an Old Norse personal name composed of two elements: the name Þórr and ljótr meaning "bright". Another opinion is that the Old Norse Þorliótr may mean "Thor-people"...	1139	2.0995	368.3342
Moore Moore (surname) The name Moore is a popular surname in many English-speaking countries and is of Gaelic/English origin. It is the 31st most common surname in the United Kingdom, and 9th most common in the United States....	944	1.7401	8.7017
Clague Clague -People:*Frank Clague, , American, a U.S. Representative from Minnesota.*John J. Clague, , Canadian, an authority in Quaternary and environmental earth sciences.*John Clague, , American artist and sculptor....	882	1.6258	456.7345
Christian	873	1.6092	162.2616
Cain	790	1.4562	70.1231
Quirk	637	1.1742	246.7653
Watterson	632	1.1650	359.6836
Cannell Cannell Cannell is a chiefly Manx surname which is derived from the Gaelic/Celtic McConnell or O'Connell.- Spelling variations :Spelling variations of this family name include: Connell, O'Connell, Cannell, Connall, Conell, Conall, Connill, Connull, Connel, Connal, Connul, Canell, Cannel, O'Connall,...	612	1.1281	260.8807

1881 rank by population index

This table lists the surnames of the 1881 census which have the highest percentage of appearing on the Isle of Man. The important column in this table is the Index column. This table shows the most "Manx" surnames in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. See the previous footnote for the legend to the table.

Surname	Total	Frequency	Index
Carine	78	0.1438	538.3023
Kewish Kewish -Kewish is a Celtic surname of Manx origin.:* Pronounced Keoush.* Contracted from Mac Uais, "The Noble's Son." Colla Uais was the 121st Milesian Monarch of Ireland [FFE 306-310, AFM 322-326].* Kewish [1618], Kevish [1653], Kewesh [1683].-References:...	89	0.1641	528.5036
Comish	108	0.1991	497.0087
Clague Clague -People:*Frank Clague, , American, a U.S. Representative from Minnesota.*John J. Clague, , Canadian, an authority in Quaternary and environmental earth sciences.*John Clague, , American artist and sculptor....	882	1.6258	456.7345
Costain Costain The Manx name Costain derives from Thorstein and is of Viking origin. Theoretically every Costain in the world is related because the name comes from just one clan that established itself on the IoM around 1100 years ago. So Costain for example started in a small workshop on the Colby Main Road...	304	0.5604	448.7085
Corkill Corkill Corkill is a surname of Irish and Manx origin. The name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Thorcaill which is derived from the Old Norse personal name meaning "Thor's kettle".-People:*Danny Corkill, , an actor....	611	1.1262	444.9785
Kennaugh Kennaugh -People:*Peter Kennaugh, , Manx racing cyclist*Hudson Kennaugh, , South African motorcycle racer*Tim Kennaugh, , Manx racing cyclist...	243	0.4479	442.7036
Faragher Faragher -Surname:*Davey Faragher, musician.*Donna Faragher, , Australian, politician.*John Mack Faragher, historian*Tommy Faragher, a music composer and producer.*Faragher surname history...	295	0.5438	424.0943
Kissack	323	0.5954	423.5510
Shimmin Shimmin Shimmin is a surname of Manx origin. The name is derived from the Manx Gaelic McSimeen, meaning "little Simon's son". Early records of the name include, MacSimon in 1366, MacShemine in 1430, and Shimin in 1614.Shimmin may refer to:...	609	1.1226	421.2784

See also

• Family name
  Family name
  A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
  
  , description of family names
• History of the Isle of Man
  History of the Isle of Man
  The Isle of Man became separated from Britain and Ireland by about 8000 BC. It appears that colonisation took place by sea sometime before 6500 BC. The island has been visited by various raiders and trading peoples over the years. After being settled by people from Ireland in the first millennium,...
  
  , Manx history