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Bastardised Surnames
- Thread starter Rossiya
- Start date
bigdog5994
Lady Day
i believe Schaffer has been altered, not sure though
and its German
and its German
My father's mother was a Swinney. I know there are Americans that go by Sweeney, Sweeny, Swiney Swinney and MacSweeney. Keeper of the swine, I think. This side of my family is...interesting. 
My father's father was English...so no problem with butcherings.
I told the story of my Italian side and the only reason why it was spelled correctly was because my great grandmother could read and write English. I know a lot of Americans have had this name spelled Micheletti, Micoletti, Michletti, Michaletti, Mikaletti Micalotti etc etc.
OK a story...I just looked up my great grandparents passenger record from Ellis Island.
They arrived May 13, 1907 from Frattamaggione, Italy apparently with $12 or lira, in good health, were not polygamists, anarchists, insane and were headed to ?Chulbury NY?. Their immigration officer looked like J.J. Jones. They arrived on the vessel known as Konigin Luise which departed from Naples. His ship had an interesting history.
It was built by Vulcan A/G shipyard for North German Lloyd, German flag, in Stetten, Germany in 1897. It was 552 feet long and 60 feet wide, had a twin screw steam engine, ran 14.5 knots and carried 2400 passengers (225 1st class, 235 2nd class and 1940 3rd class). The ship was laid up during WW I, given as reparations to the Orient Line, British flag, in 1919 and renamed Omar. The ship was sold in 1924 to Byron Steamship Co., British flag, and renamed Edison. Transferred to Greek service in 1929 and scrapped in Italy in 1935.
My grandmother's parents (his occupation was a barber from the the Abruzzi area) came here on Dec. 20, 1892 on a much smaller ship Suevia was 770 passengers (100 1st class, 70 2nd class and 600 3rd class), 360 feet long, 41 feet wide, twin screw, running at 13 knots built in Greenock, Scotland. It was built for Hamburg-American Line, German flag in 1874 and transferred to French owners, French flag, in 1896 and renamed Quatre Amis. Scrapped in France in 1898.
My father's father was English...so no problem with butcherings.I told the story of my Italian side and the only reason why it was spelled correctly was because my great grandmother could read and write English. I know a lot of Americans have had this name spelled Micheletti, Micoletti, Michletti, Michaletti, Mikaletti Micalotti etc etc.
OK a story...I just looked up my great grandparents passenger record from Ellis Island.
They arrived May 13, 1907 from Frattamaggione, Italy apparently with $12 or lira, in good health, were not polygamists, anarchists, insane and were headed to ?Chulbury NY?. Their immigration officer looked like J.J. Jones. They arrived on the vessel known as Konigin Luise which departed from Naples. His ship had an interesting history.
It was built by Vulcan A/G shipyard for North German Lloyd, German flag, in Stetten, Germany in 1897. It was 552 feet long and 60 feet wide, had a twin screw steam engine, ran 14.5 knots and carried 2400 passengers (225 1st class, 235 2nd class and 1940 3rd class). The ship was laid up during WW I, given as reparations to the Orient Line, British flag, in 1919 and renamed Omar. The ship was sold in 1924 to Byron Steamship Co., British flag, and renamed Edison. Transferred to Greek service in 1929 and scrapped in Italy in 1935.
My grandmother's parents (his occupation was a barber from the the Abruzzi area) came here on Dec. 20, 1892 on a much smaller ship Suevia was 770 passengers (100 1st class, 70 2nd class and 600 3rd class), 360 feet long, 41 feet wide, twin screw, running at 13 knots built in Greenock, Scotland. It was built for Hamburg-American Line, German flag in 1874 and transferred to French owners, French flag, in 1896 and renamed Quatre Amis. Scrapped in France in 1898.
Many people received what is called "The Ellis Island Treatment", by which I mean that many people who immigrated into the US in years past came from Europe by ship and were processed at Ellis Island New York, and the clerks who staffed Ellis Island commonly shortened, Anglicized, simplified, names simply out of laziness and simplicity. So people had their names changed for no reason except that they went through the wrong line at Ellis Island.
nihilistic
Intergalatic Delivery Boy
All surnames start sometime. What difference does it make if it were 'bastardized' a decades ago as opposed to centuries (or millenia) ago?
Sofista
Deity
Micheletti is very common here, but as most Italian surnames there are plenty of variations: in your list I can tell Micoletti definitely exists, and wouldn't marvel at a Micalotti at all.
Long divisiveness, different influences, lively and mutually unintelligible dialects had a strong influence in this. So, for example, Forlani (think actress Claire) and Furlan (actress Mira) have the same meaning ("from Friuli"), but the former is in the Italian form -well, the most common one -, the latter is still in Friulian language.
SweeneyMy father's mother was a Swinney. I know there are Americans that go by Sweeney, Sweeny, Swiney Swinney and MacSweeney. Keeper of the swine, I think. This side of my family is...interesting.
Pig / swine in Gaelic is muc, sweeney seems to come from pleasant or well disposed.
mangxema
I
Ross: How many surnames are really bastardized?
Whomp: How did you look that up? Site?
My last name may have changed slightly... but I don't really know because it's Polish.
Whomp: How did you look that up? Site?
My last name may have changed slightly... but I don't really know because it's Polish.
Elponitnatsnoc
Master Debater
My father's family changed the name to a totally average American/Welsh name for "business reasons"... I'm sure many will understand.
Mother's side is long and cumbersome and may be better off "bastardized".
It's really bothered me to be saddled with a last name which doesn't represent my family or my ethnicity. I've seriously thought of changing it back but I doubt I will for similar business reasons.
Mother's side is long and cumbersome and may be better off "bastardized".
It's really bothered me to be saddled with a last name which doesn't represent my family or my ethnicity. I've seriously thought of changing it back but I doubt I will for similar business reasons.
Thanks. I find this family history fascinating since the stories are always interesting.
Thank you too though I must say some of these family members are not so pleasant.
mangxema said:
http://www.ellisisland.org/default.asp?SID=2187&gclid=CIrkgpiIhJQCFRpknAodS2fJXQ
Sofista
Deity
@Whomp: and Micheletti (and all variations) means "son of Michele" (Michael), "lil' Michael". 
A'ha. Well apparently the "son of Michael", Gaetano, was run of the country since his father in law was not too happy his daughter, Consiglia, was marrying a common man. Supposedly, he was trying to get him bumped off so they left on a boat.@Whomp: and Micheletti (and all variations) means "son of Michele" (Michael), "lil' Michael".
Sofista
Deity
The scenario of lovers fleeing home to marry against parental wishes was (to a measure, still is) very much convenient to... spare the expense of a full ceremony.
But of course these couples returned home, and even when their escapade was truly grounded a wedding mended all (think Seven brides). If old Gaetano left for America, he must have feared for his own life, and possibly his wife's.
But of course these couples returned home, and even when their escapade was truly grounded a wedding mended all (think Seven brides). If old Gaetano left for America, he must have feared for his own life, and possibly his wife's.
QuoVadisNation
keeping your angel alive
My last name translates into "land of the animal horn" or "of the animal horn" from Polish to English. That, or "connected to the animal horn(s)." Naturally, my parents decided to keep it. Someday, I do so wish to visit this mystical place.
Traitorfish
The Tighnahulish Kid
Although I'm not a colonial, I have a bastardised surname- "Meehan", one of the many variations of the Irish "Miadhacháin", menaing "honourable" or "trustworthy". Other variants include Meahan, Meighan, Meeghen and Meakin.
I don't really hold with changing names to their original unless you have a particularly strong connection to your heritage, which I don't. Aside from anything else, an Anglicised version of an Irish name is really more representative of my ancestry than a purely Irish name.
Still, it's cool to be able to go around teliing people that my name in Irish is Fionn Ó Miadhachái. Sounds very authentic!
I don't really hold with changing names to their original unless you have a particularly strong connection to your heritage, which I don't. Aside from anything else, an Anglicised version of an Irish name is really more representative of my ancestry than a purely Irish name.
Still, it's cool to be able to go around teliing people that my name in Irish is Fionn Ó Miadhachái. Sounds very authentic!
Original it might have been 'Schäfer' - quite a common name meaning 'sheperd'.
classical_hero
In whom I trust
My surname should be easy to pronounce and to understand but so many times I have had to speel my surname it is not funny. My surname is Nairn, so how hard is that to hear, but it seems that most Australians do not understand it when it is spoken. Basically you pronounce it with two 'n's on the outside of 'air'. It is pretty simple. The surname itself is a Scottish town.
Now I wonder how many people know how to pronounce this suname? This a friend of mine's surname. It is spelt: Sheehy.
Now I wonder how many people know how to pronounce this suname? This a friend of mine's surname. It is spelt: Sheehy.
