Join the club indeed! To take just one example, my Galway grandmother's surname could be spelled Lohan, Loghan, Loughan, and Logan. Since most people were illiterate, when the priest recorded their names, the spelling often depended on what the name sounded like to him. MacLysaght shows Roan, Rowan, Rogan, Rohan, Roohan, Roughan, and Rowan, as well as Rouine, Rowine, Royan, Ruane, and Ruine. Says Roughan and Rohan most common in Clare, Rouine and Rowine in south Connacht. If a priest came from an area where the name was spelled differently, that's probably how he spelled it. Diane </HTML>

Thanks Diane! You've added a few new variations to my list! Judie DLCulhane@cs.com wrote: Join the club indeed! To take just one example, my Galway grandmother's surname could be spelled Lohan, Loghan, Loughan, and Logan. Since most people were illiterate, when the priest recorded their names, the spelling often depended on what the name sounded like to him. MacLysaght shows Roan, Rowan, Rogan, Rohan, Roohan, Roughan, and Rowan, as well as Rouine, Rowine, Royan, Ruane, and Ruine. Says Roughan and Rohan most common in Clare, Rouine and Rowine in south Connacht. If a priest came from an area where the name was spelled differently, that's probably how he spelled it. Diane ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRL-CLARE-PROJECTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message