A number of years ago I attended a lecture at The Glasgow & West Of Scotland FHS, the speaker was Bill Lawson of Isle of Harris, who is a specialist on outer hebridean ancestry, he spoke of the many surname changes owing to anglicanisation of Gaelic surnames,he has his own website at www.seallam.com/coleisthu.htm he spoke of one instance in the 1841 census of Islay where the enumerator was an Frenchman who spoke good enough English but had no knowledge of the Gaelic, he asked what the meaning of the name McGowan was Smith was the answer, or to put it more exactly Humphy backed Smith,( round shouldered) so thereafter he would enter all McGowans as Smith in the census. He went on to give several other instances of surname changes. Jim McPherson >From: "Margaret Kipp" <margaretkipp@rogers.com> >Subject: [ARGYLL] Name switches McCombich / Stewart >While we are on the topic of name switches, and since this is the Argyll >List, can anyone provide information on the reason /background for the >following: > >The name McCombich (various spellings) is found almost exclusively in >Argyll >and Perthshire. My Stewarts are in Perthshire but (according to family >legend) emigrated from Argyll about 1650. Shortly after they began to use >McCombich (Gaelic for companion) as a surname and then reverted to Stewart. >I have documents ancestors who were baptized McCombich and married as >Stewart. We believe that there is some connection with our family's >immigration to Perthshire with the legendary Lady of Lawers. > >Margaret > > >==== SCT-ARGYLL Mailing List ==== >********************************************************************** >Need an LDS film number to order a film at your local LDS library? Try >http://geocities.com/Heartland/Garden/1311/13300-scottishreference.htm > _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself with cool emoticons - download MSN Messenger today! http://www.msn.co.uk/messenger