What is the technical term for the prefix on Gaelic surnames?
Patronymic prefix. In Gaelic names, that can be Mc, Mac, O', or Fitz. Other languages have their own, such as Cornish Pen, Welsh ap, and Arabic ibn or bin. Most other languages use suffixes for the same purpose.
So, is the Scandinavian practice patronymic suffix?
Great grand dad was Joktan Andersson when he came to the US in the 1870s (but, Joseph Anderson is on his grave stone). And, through Scotland, my wife's family name is Robertson.
Yeah, my ancestors were the "von Heims" but they dropped the "von" when they crossed the pond ca. 1850. I hear a lot of people dropped those prefixes, thinking they sounded too aristocratic. They just wanted to get into the melting pot.
Heimhenge said
Yeah, my ancestors were the "von Heims" but they dropped the "von" when they crossed the pond ca. 1850. I hear a lot of people dropped those prefixes, thinking they sounded too aristocratic. They just wanted to get into the melting pot.
So your user name refers to the family gallows?