Katie,
The idea of a single or correct spelling for a surname or a place name in
Ireland is very much a recent phenomenon designed to meet the needs of modern
officialdom. Before that there was no consistency. Names were spelled
phonetically and each variation was down to the whim of the particular person
recording the information. You will often see the spelling change as the
records go back. This rarely indicates a deliberate decision to alter the name,
nor even a mistake. Not everyone was literate, but even when they were, exact
and consistent spelling simply wasn’t something they bothered about. In
addition to varying the actual spelling, O’ or Mac prefixes were optional and
were often omitted.
In 1899, the Rev Smith reviewed the early records of Antrim 1st Presbyterian
church (covering the years 1674 to c 1736). He noted: “Even the same word is
not always spelled alike by the same hand. Indeed spelling with most of the
recording officials (and they must have been fairly numerous) was a matter of
the most sublime indifference. The name William, for instance, is spelled 3
different ways in as many lines; while Donegore, a neighbouring parish, is
spelled 10 different ways; but these extend over a good number of years. Many
families names are spelled phonetically, while others are given in the most
round-about fashion.”
There are also many interchangeable names in Ireland and you can expect to see
either version feature in the same family. So it’s wise to search Irish records
using both versions.
Examples of interchangeable surnames are: McDowell & Madole, Robertson &
Robinson, Kilpatrick and Kirkpatrick, Nogher & Connor, Patterson & Pattison,
Faulkner & Falconer, McConnell & McDonnell, Kerr & Carr, Stewart & Stuart,
McKinney & Mackenzie, plus obviously Stevenson & Steenson.
Many forenames are also interchangeable eg Jean & Jane, Jenny & Janet, Nancy,
Agnes & Ann are all interchangeable, Sally & Sarah, Sheila & Julia, Mary & May,
Peggy & Margaret, Peter & Patrick, Sean & John, John & Jack, Edward & Edmund,
Henry & Harry, Robin & Robert, Roy & Robert, Kathleen & Catherine. (The famous
Scottish poet Robert Burns was never known as Robert to his friends. He was
always Robin to them). It’s just something that needs to be taken into account
when searching Irish and Scottish records.
As far as Stevenson and Steenson is concerned, you might find it helpful to
think about how that name is pronounced and spoken here in Ulster. We speak
quickly with the emphasis on the first syllable. So Stevenson & Steenson sound
much the same. In the same way, McDowell is pronounced Madole here, so leading
to the alternative spelling.
Expect spelling to vary. That was the norm. No caste implications, just the way
we speak.
Elwyn
On Sunday, 12 September 2021, 19:16:33 BST, Katie Green via CoTyroneList
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hello folks,
I have long wondered how the name Stinson or Stenson came to be a version of
Stevenson and what the import of that fore-shortening was. (There are Stinsons
in my ancestry.) Was there caste implications involved? Anybody know?
Katie Green
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