Origins of the Name and the mysterious "e"
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Origins of the Name and the mysterious "e"
| trish (View posts) | Posted: 19 Oct 2000 7:36PM GMT |
Thought people might like to know.
I am a Sinclaire. Same family/clan, different spelling. That final 'e' has caused no end of trouble when it comes to filing forms, applying for credit cards and the like. My name was been spelt Sinclair (most often) and occassionaly St. Clair and even Saint Claire. Mind you, I like the "e": the name looks unfinshed without it to me but when trying to search for ancestors, I have to go through at least five different spellings! I'm sure you understand.
To the point (thank you for allowing me to express my frustration):
The Sinclair (etc) family originally came from France with William the Conquerer in 1066. There are two towns in Normandy named for St. Clair, the catholic saint. I'm told that the Sinclairs originated in St Clair-sur-Ept (?); I'm not sure about the spelling of the last word. So the original name would have been something like du St. Clair as in Lancelot of St. Clair.
Soon after the conquest, the Sinclairs went to Scotland. I don't know exactly when the name was anglesized into Sinclair. Basically, whenever you see that prefix "Sin" it is an anglelization of a St. "fill in the blank" name. Example: if you are called St. John, the English would pronounce your name as Sinjin. But, IT IS STILL SPELLED as "St. John."
Sinclair is essentially a phonetic spelling of St. Clair; they spelled it like it sounded to them. So a St. Clair is from part of the family who never changed the spelling to suit how it sounded. Or maybe they were just conservative. I don't know.
Sinkler is how the Scots pronounced Sinclair. Indeed, a woman from Glasgow once called my mother and said, "Mrs. Sinkler?" even though she knew it was spelled as Sinclaire.
And the mysterious, complicating-my-life "e?"
My family came to the US through Ireland. In the earliest records, our name is given the Scots phonetic spelling. I am descended from a man named Alexander Sinkler of Belfast and Newtownards, Ireland. His grandson, Thomas, b. 1719 changed the spelling of the name, probably because he learned to read and knew who his antecedants were. I only wish he left a record. For some reason, he tacked on the "e," perhaps to distiguish his branch of the family from the Scottish one. I don't know, but the "e" is there, complicating my life though I do think its pretty.
I am a Sinclaire. Same family/clan, different spelling. That final 'e' has caused no end of trouble when it comes to filing forms, applying for credit cards and the like. My name was been spelt Sinclair (most often) and occassionaly St. Clair and even Saint Claire. Mind you, I like the "e": the name looks unfinshed without it to me but when trying to search for ancestors, I have to go through at least five different spellings! I'm sure you understand.
To the point (thank you for allowing me to express my frustration):
The Sinclair (etc) family originally came from France with William the Conquerer in 1066. There are two towns in Normandy named for St. Clair, the catholic saint. I'm told that the Sinclairs originated in St Clair-sur-Ept (?); I'm not sure about the spelling of the last word. So the original name would have been something like du St. Clair as in Lancelot of St. Clair.
Soon after the conquest, the Sinclairs went to Scotland. I don't know exactly when the name was anglesized into Sinclair. Basically, whenever you see that prefix "Sin" it is an anglelization of a St. "fill in the blank" name. Example: if you are called St. John, the English would pronounce your name as Sinjin. But, IT IS STILL SPELLED as "St. John."
Sinclair is essentially a phonetic spelling of St. Clair; they spelled it like it sounded to them. So a St. Clair is from part of the family who never changed the spelling to suit how it sounded. Or maybe they were just conservative. I don't know.
Sinkler is how the Scots pronounced Sinclair. Indeed, a woman from Glasgow once called my mother and said, "Mrs. Sinkler?" even though she knew it was spelled as Sinclaire.
And the mysterious, complicating-my-life "e?"
My family came to the US through Ireland. In the earliest records, our name is given the Scots phonetic spelling. I am descended from a man named Alexander Sinkler of Belfast and Newtownards, Ireland. His grandson, Thomas, b. 1719 changed the spelling of the name, probably because he learned to read and knew who his antecedants were. I only wish he left a record. For some reason, he tacked on the "e," perhaps to distiguish his branch of the family from the Scottish one. I don't know, but the "e" is there, complicating my life though I do think its pretty.