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ArchivesRe: MACKELO
in reply to a message by Mags Adams-Aston
My Irish surname book has it alternately spelled as MacKellow, possibly from Scots Mac Killoch ...a toponymic from Ayrshire ...
McBain's Irish translation site has the following:
ceall
g. cille, a church, so Irish, Early Irish cell; from Latin cella, a cell, a hermit's cell especially, whence the Gadelic use. Hence cealloir, superior of a cell, and the name Mackellar. "A retired spot"
Best I can do ...
McBain's Irish translation site has the following:
ceall
g. cille, a church, so Irish, Early Irish cell; from Latin cella, a cell, a hermit's cell especially, whence the Gadelic use. Hence cealloir, superior of a cell, and the name Mackellar. "A retired spot"
Best I can do ...
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Replies
Many thanks, Sean Foglai, for your information.
Really interesting to see how a surname like Mackelo could possibly come from either MacKellow or Mackelis. The latter was replied to my other message I left on the "Little Lithuania" message forum as,
"Christian name Matas > surname Mackus > surnames Mackelis and Mackele, meaning "son of Mackus."
I wonder which is which? Perhaps I had better add a bit more about my research into the Mackelo ancestry in the hope someone will pinpoint the origin of the surname.
Alistair Mackelo who died aged 24 in September 1984 was the son of Hamish Mackelo who & his parents were Romany Gypsies. Alistair's mother, Ana's surname was Santiago (Spanish) before she married Hamish.
I'm finding it difficult to trace Hamish Mackelo's ancestors as Romany Gypsies have their own traditional cremation ceremonies. It could be possible that they may have come from Ireland via Scotland as they do have Romany Gypsies, don't they, in Ireland?
Really interesting to see how a surname like Mackelo could possibly come from either MacKellow or Mackelis. The latter was replied to my other message I left on the "Little Lithuania" message forum as,
"Christian name Matas > surname Mackus > surnames Mackelis and Mackele, meaning "son of Mackus."
I wonder which is which? Perhaps I had better add a bit more about my research into the Mackelo ancestry in the hope someone will pinpoint the origin of the surname.
Alistair Mackelo who died aged 24 in September 1984 was the son of Hamish Mackelo who & his parents were Romany Gypsies. Alistair's mother, Ana's surname was Santiago (Spanish) before she married Hamish.
I'm finding it difficult to trace Hamish Mackelo's ancestors as Romany Gypsies have their own traditional cremation ceremonies. It could be possible that they may have come from Ireland via Scotland as they do have Romany Gypsies, don't they, in Ireland?
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Also, I suspect Mackis is related to 'Magnus' ...mostly found in Germanic names meaning "great or large" ...as in magnum ...
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Gypsies are certainly more challenging to research. As you probably know the name ‘Gypsy’ comes from the word 'Egypt' as they were thought to originate there, but now it's generally accepted that they came from India.
Hamish is the Scottish equivalent of James so he certainly has a Scottish first name. It's probable that he or his forebears assimilated culturally and their names evolve into similar sounding, already existing Scottish names.
Ireland, to the best of my knowledge, does not have any or many Gypsies. They do have “Tinkers” (a name supposedly derived from their common occupation of mending tin pots and pans) or “Travelers” which seem to be mostly indigenous people who were displaced during the land depredations. These folks don’t match the common description of Gypsies physically but did caravan around the country and have many of the same stereotypes and until recently were reluctant to settle down in one local.
The only thing I can suggest is to research Romany names that closely resemble your Scottish names in either form or meaning. It’s possible that the Slavic form may have more weight as Southeastern Europe has a significant Slavic influence and most of the Romany entered Europe via this route.
Best of luck …
Hamish is the Scottish equivalent of James so he certainly has a Scottish first name. It's probable that he or his forebears assimilated culturally and their names evolve into similar sounding, already existing Scottish names.
Ireland, to the best of my knowledge, does not have any or many Gypsies. They do have “Tinkers” (a name supposedly derived from their common occupation of mending tin pots and pans) or “Travelers” which seem to be mostly indigenous people who were displaced during the land depredations. These folks don’t match the common description of Gypsies physically but did caravan around the country and have many of the same stereotypes and until recently were reluctant to settle down in one local.
The only thing I can suggest is to research Romany names that closely resemble your Scottish names in either form or meaning. It’s possible that the Slavic form may have more weight as Southeastern Europe has a significant Slavic influence and most of the Romany entered Europe via this route.
Best of luck …
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Sean,
Many thanks for all you've done & it's very much appreciated. Most of the Mackelo family were dark skinned with black hair & blue eyes. I think Aly's grandfather (Hamish's dad)'s name was Frank or Fred & he used to travel with his horses, mating his stallion with mares from various farms during his travels.
Just one more thing, where & how do I research Romany names?
Thanks
Mags
Many thanks for all you've done & it's very much appreciated. Most of the Mackelo family were dark skinned with black hair & blue eyes. I think Aly's grandfather (Hamish's dad)'s name was Frank or Fred & he used to travel with his horses, mating his stallion with mares from various farms during his travels.
Just one more thing, where & how do I research Romany names?
Thanks
Mags
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I'd just add one other comment ...the Jews, who shared a similar history as the Gypsies, often have slightly differing names in countries such as Germany, Poland and Russia (though from the same root word). So I'd think that the many Gypsy names closely resemble other names in the country they migrated to ...
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