Vintage Voices Blog

The McElhany surname finds its roots in Northern Ireland. The name represents the Anglicized (or English) version of the Gaelic Mac Goilla Chainnigh or Mac Goilla Choinnigh, which is translated to mean “son of the servant (or devotee) of Saint Cainneach”. In Ireland, Cainneach is recognized as St Canice, while in Scotland, he is known as St. Kenneth or St. Kenny. St. Canice, born in the Ulster province of Ireland around A.D. 515 and passed away around A.D. 600, was the son of Lughadh, a poet, and Maul or Mella. During his youth, he journeyed to Wales for religious studies and was ordained as a priest. It’s said that he ventured to Rome for a period of time and when returning to Ireland, he dedicated himself to the eradication of paganism from the country. In today’s Catholic tradition, the feast day of St. Canice’s is celebrated on October 11th. The McElhany surname has experienced a multitude of spelling variations, some of them are: McElhaney McElheney McElhenney McElhenny McElh...

Origins of the Surname  It’s speculated that the surname Jolly may have its roots in the Old Norse “jól”, which is a midwinter festival celebrating the gradual lengthening of days.  Jól is also referred to as Jul, joulu, or yule.  The Jól festival was later incorporated into the Christian Church for celebration of the birth of Christ...or Christmas! The surname Jolly has many variations…Jolli, Jollie, French Joli, Old English Jollif, and Jolliffe.   The name is translated to jolly, gay, happy, merry, trim, fine, gallant, neat, handsome, etc.   My Jolly lineage can be traced back to the early 1500’s, connecting to the Jolliffe family of England. Jolliffe Settlement in England During the 11th century, England became the target of The Norman Conquest, which was the invasion and subsequent occupation of the country by a formidable army composed of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French soldiers.  The mastermind behind this conquest was the D...