* Convention on old Welsh names

[rkanaar]

What is people's convention on entering old Welsh names into FH? I am a long way back in my Welsh roots, and have a number of entries to make where there are multiple 'ap' in a name - e.g. Gwilim ap Gryffydd ap Dafydd ap Llewellyn. By default FH uses Llewellyn as the surname, but in fact people only had one name in those days.

[tatewise]

I don't know anything about entering Welsh names, but to be pedantic, FH does not have a default surname concept.
It is simply that if you don't identify the surname as you enter the Name then it automatically encloses the last 'word' in slashes (/), e.g. Gwilim ap Gryffydd ap Dafydd ap /Llewellyn/

That is a drawback of the Tools > Preferences > Property Box > Show Surnames Between Slashes: Only When Necessary default setting, as it is not so obvious what is happening. Thus I change that setting to Always, so the slashes (/) are always shown, and can more easily be altered where necessary.

If you wanted you could change that Name to have no surname, e.g. Gwilim ap Gryffydd ap Dafydd ap Llewellyn //
Or it could all be surname, e.g. /Gwilim ap Gryffydd ap Dafydd ap Llewellyn/

BTW:
See reference http://www.amlwchhistory.co.uk/newdata/ ... rnames.htm.
This reference https://www.theindexer.org/files/29-2/w ... -names.pdf says that Mac, Mc, O', von, van, de, bin, ap, etc, all mean son of in various languages. So it is largely up to you whether you include them in the surname or not. See the section titled The indexing of Welsh personal names starting on page C7.
An important consideration is where you want the surname to appear in sorted lists of Individual records.
In FH V6 the Records Window filter takes into account Alternate Names as well as the Primary Name.
So if you want to filter Welsh names like your example by any of their names, then enter multiple Alternate Names with each part name as the /surname/.

[ColeValleyGirl]

I'd use Gwilim as the single name and add Gwilim ap Gryffydd ap Dafydd ap Llewellyn as an alternate name. It's not as if sorting or any other processing by surname is useful with Welsh patronymics of that nature.

If I'm dealing with a patronymic from a later period (e.g. mid-late 19th century in Sir Caernarfon) where somebody might have been recorded at her marriage as Jane Parry daughter of Henry Pritchard (Jane ap Harry), and subequently had children with her maiden name recorded as Pritchard, I'll record her surname as Pritchard and add Parry as an alternate name.

[rkanaar]

Thank you for your thoughts, and the interesting article on indexing Welsh names Mike. One comment you make - that I can see alternate names in the records filter - where please? I have used FH for many years and have checked the attributes that can be added to the filter, but cannot see alternate name? Am I mis-understanding ?

[tatewise]

In the Records Window on the Individuals tab, when you enter a Last name or a First Name into the Filter top left, then it will display all records where the Primary Name or any Alternate Name matches, and can include Husband's Surnames for married women. Those Alternate Names do NOT need to be shown in any column for the Filter to work.

Click the Options... button for full details, and review the Help.

[rkanaar]

Thanks Mike - is there a way to show the alternate names in the records columns please? For example I have many people with the same single name, and whilst I can filter and hit the '+' mark to see the alternate names, it would be nice to have the alternate name in a column.

[tatewise]

Yes, see how_to:customising_record_window_columns|> Customise or Print Records Window Columns.

For each Alternate Name you will need a separate column.
e.g.
Heading: Alternate Name 1
Expression: %INDI.NAME[2]%

Heading: Alternate Name 2
Expression: %INDI.NAME[3]%