A family name (otherwise known as a surname) is, for most of us, our oldest possession. Most of us received it when we were born. It may have changed if we were adopted or took on a spouse's surname when we married. Our surname is found on our legal and church documents, we sign our name on contracts and letters, we introduce ourselves to others by telling them our name, and oftentimes, upon hearing a surname, we may make certain assumptions. If I see the surname Keough, or its variants of Kehoe, Keogh, Kough, I am pretty confident the holder claims Irish descent. If I see the surname Chevalier, I would assume the person has a French connection.
When we research our Newfoundland roots, we look to the surnames of those ancestors we are aware of and make connections with those we are related to who share the surname, those who married in, and those who married out. We wonder where the surname originated, when it arrived in Newfoundland, what the surname means, and whether there are others who share the surname (and whether they might be close or extended family).
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| The really big book of Newfoundland surnames |
To learn more about surnames found in Newfoundland, you really must consult Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland. It is a great big book that takes you on a tour of the almost 3,000 family names of Newfoundland. The introduction provides a brief discussion of the history and linguistic origins of surnames found in Newfoundland, which are primarily made up of English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, Syrian, Lebanese and Micmac (a First Nations people indigenous to Canada's Atlantic Provinces). The majority of the book is a dictionary of those 3,000 surnames in Newfoundland and is based on data collected from family records, government documents, voting lists, and newspaper reports from the earliest Newfoundland records. The entries include the variant spellings, records found, date of occurrence, countries from where the surname came, and the surname's meaning. For Newfoundland researchers, the most helpful section is the individual occurrences included (the person, the place, the date, and the original source document). If you are looking for early Newfoundland ancestors, this is definitely a book you will want to check out. You can also find a ranking of the most common surnames in Newfoundland (together with a frequency comparison of the most common surnames in England, Ireland and Scotland). The author's investigation of the various surnames and the bits of information he unearthed is fascinating and entertaining.
The book, originally published in 1976, was written by Edgar Ronald Seary, professor and head of Memorial University's English Department. The book was updated in 1998 by William Kirwin and Shelia M.P. Lynch to include several additions and corrections. Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland can be found at most University libraries as well as many regional or central libraries. Be sure to check on Worldcat.org to find it in a library near you. Then check out the surnames of your Newfoundland ancestors and learn more about them. A bit of sleuthing with Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland might just help you make some connections to your past.
My direct line Newfoundland surnames are Aylward, Dooley, Driscoll, & Keough. Each of those surnames appear in Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland and my people are mentioned with places, dates, and sources. What are you waiting for? Find this book and check out your Newfoundland surnames. Just a mention that I conduct a one-name study of the surname Keough and my study is registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies. I'm interested in all my Newfoundland family names, but especially my Keough connection. If you have Keoughs (or Kehoes or Keoghs or Koughs) please get in touch!
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