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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2000-02 > 0949785570


From: Mac McCutchan <>
Subject: Re: Bells Book of Ulster Names
Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2000 16:19:30 -0500


Eleanor Dobbs asked, "Are Butlers, Youngs, Murphys, Woods, Cartes
listed in Bells Book of Ulster Names?"

OK, Eleanor, here goes.

BUTLER: Not in Bell's book. In Scotland, the name goes back before
1200, and comes from two sources: (1) Servant in charge of butts or
casks of wine, and (2) from "Botteler", maker of leather bottles.
Black's "The Surnames of Scotland" cites numerous examples from 1173 to
1296, several from around Glasgow. The name could easily have made it
to Ulster...but maybe it didn't. Hanna's "The Scotch-Irish" lists 172
Butlers born in all of Ireland in 1890; of these, only 9 were born in
Ulster. This suggests the name is also English and/or maybe Irish.

YOUNG: Bell says two-thirds of all Youngs in Ireland are in Ulster,
concentrated in counties Antrim, Tyrone, Down and Derry. The name is
also common in Leinster and Munster. It can come from either England or
Scotland, and its origins in both cases are the same: The old English
"geong" or young, used to distinguish a father and son of the same
Christian name. It is one of the 20 most common names in Scotland.
Hanna's "The Scotch-Irish" lists 132 Youngs born in all of Ireland in
1890; of these, 87 were born in Ulster, concentrated in counties Antrim,
Tyrone, Down and Derry.

MURPHY: This is the most numerous surname in Ireland, very common in
every province and county. It's among the first 15 names in Ulster, and
is especially numerous in Armagh, where it's the most common name. It
ranks as #9 in county Fermanagh and #10 in county Monaghan. The name is
principally Irish, originating in 3 different Irish sources (O'Murphy,
MacMurphy, and Mac Murchu. It can, however, also be of Scottish origin;
the clan Donald sept of MacMurchie was made MacMurphy and Murphy in
Arran.

WOODS: Found throughout Ireland, but especially in Ulster, in counties
Antrim, Armagh, Down, Monaghan, Tyrone and Fermanagh. The English name
Wood is among the 15 most common in England and Wales, and is numerous
in Scotland. The addition of the "s" at the end seems to be a largely
Ulster occurrence. WOODS is 10 times more common than WOOD in Ulster.
The name can come from Irish stock, since several Gaelic names have been
anglicized to WOODS. It can also be of English, Welsh or Scottish
origin.
Hanna's "The Scotch-Irish" lists only 14 babies of the WOOD surname
born in all of Ireland in 1890; of these, 4 were born in Ulster. By
comparison, there were 137 WOODS babies born in the same year, of which
84 were born in Ulster, concentrated in counties as indicated above.

CARTES: I strike out on this name. Not mentioned in Bell, or Black's
Surnames of Scotland, or Hanna's The Scotch-Irish. Could be a variant
of Carter, Carse, or even Carstairs. I also wonder if it might not be
Huguenot, or a rare Norman name. I need a little help from the experts
on this one.

Mac McCutchan

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