Changing your surname to the Irish version

[WordOfTheDay]

I'm toying with the idea of changing my surname to the Irish version. I wonder if any of you have experience of doing this, why you or the person did it, how it was received by others. Are there strong connotations associated with doing this, do you think? Any regrets? Or are you/ they happy with their choice?

I live in the Netherlands permanently. I already have an Irish/Scottish-sounding "Mc" surname, so already have that "Irish" badge, which makes it less motivating to make the change. However, I am Irish and I like my Irish identity. By the way, my Irish language skills are passable and I've been studying/improving for a couple of years now.

@Brightonbabe5 @TheYearOfSmallThings I totally get the "notions" response. It is indeed me getting notions about myself! At the same time, if you just see it as an option, it's a really nice way of connecting with the past (the name of your forefathers), doing a touch of PR for Ireland (if you are living abroad) (1. people are interested in Ireland, and 2. it's nice if it helps the penny drop with some people about Ireland not being part of the UK), connecting with the language (I'm already back up to Leaving Cert. level and getting a great kick out of going further, listening to RnaG, taking part in my local Pop-Up Gaeltacht, etc.).
I think if your name in Irish is not tricky, e.g. de Barra, Nic Lochlainn, Ó Murachú (sp.!) it's probably less controversial to do it abroad as people wouldn't think to expect you to be a Gaeilgeoir. They would just accept it as a name. I would definitely be very reticent to do it in Ireland unless I had a very good level of Irish.

@Smallsteps88 Thank you very much for sharing your experience. You say quite a lot of people in NI switch to their Irish name. What do you think people in NI think about that? Do you think it is more accepted up there? I guess that the expectation that you are a fluent speaker is less in the province. Am I right?

You say quite a lot of people in NI switch to their Irish name.

Well I’m not sure about a lot of people in NI as a whole but certainly in my part of NI it’s very common. I’ve never had anyone comment on it or ask if it was my original name or why I changed it etc. I think it is assumed that If you have your name in Irish that it is a translation rather than what you were christened with as I think it’s a recent thing (last 15 or so years?)

I guess that the expectation that you are a fluent speaker is less in the province. Am I right?

I’m not sure, anyone I know personally who uses their Irish name does have some Irish at least. I see a lot of Irish names on FB etc but I have no idea if those people also have Irish.

I got my first Irish passport in my Irish name. I loved it, I still went by the anglicised version of my name which is Irish enough. I did run into a problem once in the US after 9/11 when I was being grilled by some idiot at the airport, my ticket was in my Anglicised name (I can’t remember why this was) but because my passport was in Irish they wanted to know why I had 2 names & further ID, the page in the passport with my birth name wasn’t sufficient. Anyway I had my drivers licence on me but that was in my previous married name that I’d forgotten to change 🤦‍♀️Needless to say I made sure I had everything in the same name after that. Unfortunately now everything is in my ver y non Irish married name.

I've considered doing this for passport purposes but it would be a hassle as it would involve changing back to my maiden name and then switching to the Irish version. Changing to a married name was such a silly idea way back when..

My current residence is in the US and my US documentation has my English language married surname. I have an idea that it would be hard to explain to a US Homeland Security operative at some US airport that I am really the person with the English surname on my Green Card and the very different Irish version in my passport.
Same class of problems as yours, @AliceMck.

I use the Irish version of my first name and that's on all my documentation. My BC first name is the English version but I've never used it so decided to go with the Irish name from the getgo.

@20shadesofgreen

The website gives the masculine version. Afaik there are 2 versions of the feminine version of my surname in use. I’ve never really known how to choose.

I thought that too but if you click on the name, it then goes on to show you the different variants. Not particularly clear though.

Hello all,
I spotted this video by Ciara Ní É yesterday about why and how she officially changed her surname back to the original Irish. It's pretty good.

If you are interested in double-checking the correct rendering of your name, she recommends these links:
NAISC / LINKS
Info on your rights: peig.ie/cearta
Gaelicise your name on Cadhan: cadhan.com/gaelu/foirm.html
Surnames on Sloinne: www.sloinne.ie (this site has been down recently)
Surnames on Gaois: www.gaois.ie/ga/surnames/
More surnames: www.libraryireland.com/names/...
First names: www.behindthename.com/

It's mega-easy to have a new passport issued under the Irish version of your name (just provide two pieces of evidence that you have been using the Irish version of your name for at least 6 months, e.g. you enrolled on a course/took out a gym membership/registered for a conference/or whatever under that name more than 6 months ago.

Your birth cert. name is conserved in your passport on the second page ("originally known as ..."), so the passport serves as an excellent way to prove the link between the two names!

@20shadesofgreen

The website gives the masculine version. Afaik there are 2 versions of the feminine version of my surname in use. I’ve never really known how to choose.

@20shadesofgreen This site makes it easy to identify the correct version of your name. Tick the ainm pósta box if the surname is yours by marriage, don't tick it if the surname is yours by registration at birth. www.cadhan.com/gaelu/foirm.html

I wouldn’t do it personally. Superficially it seems a bit pretentious or maybe chippy. On a deeper level it seems like trying to erase history.

@Palmfrond

I wouldn’t do it personally. Superficially it seems a bit pretentious or maybe chippy. On a deeper level it seems like trying to erase history.

Chippy. Love it . So English and snooty. And if you protest: well that's proof positive you are chippy !