39 Name Variants

When I registered our Clan name with the Guild of One Name Studies, when I decided to do a 'One Name ' study on it, I was allowed to register only five variants of the name. There is a developing Internet site called FamilySearch which has just added many Irish, Scottish and other genealogical resources, mostly births, marriages and deaths. I wondered how many clan entries there would be and to my surprise I have found 694. I am also surprised by the number of variants of our name. There are no fewer than 39 on this one Internet site.

The greatest number of entries were for McIlhagga (320). Next came McIlhaggo (84), then McIlhagger (42), McIlhaggar (38), McIlhago (32), McElhagow (25), McHagga (16), McIlhaga and McIlhagow (both 15), McIlhaggie (13), McHaggart and McIllhago (both 12) and McElhago (10). So thirteen in 'double figures'. The remaining 27 were in single figures, from seven to one. Clearly some of the variants are really 'deviants' - mistakes made by someone who had misheard or miscopied a name. Interestingly four of the entries were uses of a name as middle names, McIlhagga (3) and McIlhaggard (1).

The little used variants are McIlhagar (7), McIlhague (6), McHago, McIlhagge, McHaggar and McIlhaggart (5), McIlhaggow (4), McIllhaga, McIlhaggan and McIllhagah (3), McIlhagart, McIllhaggow, McElhaggo, McIlhaggert, McIlhagan, McIlhaggs, McIllhagga, McIlagga and McIltaggart (2 each) and a single entry only of McElhagan, McIlhagie, McIlhage, MacIlhaggart, McIlhaggor, McHaggan and McIlha... Clearly the last one was unreadable!