[ANSTHRLD] Iain MacWhelan

[doug bell]

These folks just love getting thrown into
that there thistle patch by picking Gaelic names.

>Iain MacWhelan would be a gaelic version of John son of Wolf.

Well, not exactly.  If Iain MacWhelan is anything, it
is a 19th and 20th century Irish name.

The Problem Names Project has researched Iain.
http://www.medievalscotland.org/problem/names/iain.shtml
They don't find it before the 19th century so I don't
recommend using it.  Eoin is the medieval Gaelic form.

If he wants 1200-1600 highland Scotland Gaelic then
Eoin mac Faolán or Eoin mac Sithig.  The last one is
would be closer to 1200.  Also, Eoin mac tire is son of the soil (wolf)
after one of the names for the wolf
(mac tire).

Black, page 567, header MacTyre gives
Paul MacTyre from 1360.  All 3 names mean John, son of
(the) Wolf
OCorrain & Maguire, Irish Names
Page 92 header Fáelán, page 88 header Eoin
Black, Surnames of Scotland
page 251 under Faelan gives ffolanus from 1316.  That looks like a Latin
form.
page 728 under Sithech gives mac Sithig from the 12 century Book of Deer
entries and Middle Irish sidheach meaning wolf.

The names look like they were rendered into English
differently in Scotland and Ireland.  MacWhelan looks
Irish from Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames, pages
521, 557, 570, 573, 574.  I don't find that in Scotland but it takes the
form of Shaw or Sithech.  Black goes into considerable detail on that.

The English form of the name in Scotland is likely
John Shaw or Ihon Shaw in Scots.  The Iain article
above has more Scots forms.  The English form in Ireland was likely John
MacWhelan, Hyland, or Holland.
Let me know if he decides he wants a Scots or English
form of the name rather than Gaelic.

safe journeys
Magnus von Lübeck
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