[HPforGrownups] Red Hair, Weasleys and Evanses

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 95523

bboy_mn wrote:
>I don't think so. I think it means that they have a common geographic
>ancestral region. In other words, they are both decented from Irish or
>Scots.
>
>(Any Britophiles care to venture a guess as to the geographic origin
>of the Evans and Weasley names?)

Evans as a surname is Welsh, but it's not possible to be more specific than
that. It's a surname that comes from the old patronymic system which was the
way we named ourselves down to the 16th century, when the English system was
imposed on us. At that point, if your father was named "Ifan", your name
would have been "ab Ifan" or "Ifan's son" (if you were Ifan's daughter of
course you'd have been "ferch Ifan"),

This in turn became either "Evans" or "Bevan" under the English system. But
because there was lots of Ifanses all over the country, "Evans" isn't
geographically specific. "Rosier" by contrast originates from South East
Wales.

It doesn't of course preclude an Evans from having gone to Scotland, married
a Scotswoman, and founding a Scottish family tree.

Cheers

Ffred

O Benryn wleth hyd Luch Reon
Cymru yn unfryd gerhyd Wrion
Gwret dy Cymry yghymeiri