Blair Collection > Surnames & place-names of the Isle of Man

Mlanx Suttnamea.
names, which were always used, the proper names being
hardly ever mentioned. One man, on account of his
endurance in faction fights, was called Gadderagh,
which literally means a tough fellow like a gad, or
withe ; another was never called by any name but
Cloosedarrag, 'Red ears'; a third was Phil-a-
Gaddy, or 'Phil the thief; a fourth Shaun-na-bointre,
'John the (son of the) widow ' ; and one man, who was
a notorious schemer, was universally called, by way of
derision, or per antiphrasiui, Thomas- A - sagart,
" Tom the priest." '
In the Isle of Man, as in all small stationary com-
munities, nicknames were much used. Indeed, in
certain parishes where there were many bearing the
same name, as Corlett, in Ballaugh, and Qual-
trough, in Rushen, they were an absolute necessity
for the sake of distinction. It has been thought advis-
able, by way of illustration of what has been said on
this subject in Chapter II., to furnish some specimens
of the nicknames which were formerly recorded in the
Parish Registers, as well as of those which are still in
use. They will be discussed under the following heads :
Nicknames derived from (i) Character or appearance ;
(2) Place of abode or origin ; (3) Parents' Christian
names ; (4) Trade or occupation.
The earliest nicknames from character or appearance
are on the inscribed crosses, where we find ' Thorwolf
the Red,' {ranpa) ; * Grim the Black ' ; and ' Sandulf
the Black ' (suarti), of Scandinavian origin ; and Thor-
LAF Neaci, where Neaci is probably Celtic {vide Ua
Nioc, Four Mast., 1032 and 1128).
* Ye Natural,' referring to idiocy, is unfortunately a
somewhat common entry in the Registers.