ORIGIN OF THE SURNAME FORSYTH/E

In the early years most people lived in small villages and everyone knew their neighbors and there was little need for surnames. As villages grew it became necessary for them to be able to distinguish between two or more people with the same first name. The use of Scottish surnames seems to have started as early as the 10^th or 12^th century, but not used with any consistency until the 16^th century and even later in the Highlands and northern Isles. The use of surnames would have begun first with noblemen or men of title, the Clan Chief’s being among these.  From what we know of clans, they were made up of not only the chief’s blood kin, but the wives and husbands of his kin and clans were even known to take in non-related members because of the special skills that person may have.  When surnames came into use among the general population, out of respect, or as a sign of loyalty,  the members of the clan often took the name of the clan chief.

In Ireland the use of surnames is said to have come earlier than the 10th century, but they were not hereditary until then.  

HOW WERE SURNAMES DEVELOPED

We know that surnames developed from four sources:

Patronymic or Matronymic Names:  These would be names that are derived usually from the father’s name, but sometimes from the mother’s, by adding such things as; son, Fitz, Mc or Mac, O’. Most common in the Lowlands of Scotland was the addition the suffix, son. Example: Andrew’s son John was called John Andrewson.  Most common in the Highlands of Scotland was adding the prefix Mac or Mc. Example. Donald’s son, John would become John MacDonald. 

Geographical/Place  Names: These names took on the name or a description of a place  where they were born or where they lived.  Not always easy to determine since often a translation of the language spoken at the time.  Names such as Dell, Lake, or Rivers are obvious, but names such as Dunlop, meaning Muddy Hill are not so obvious unless you are familiar with the language of the time and place.  This was the naming practice often found in the highlands.

Often in European languages a surname will be preceded by word such as, de, da, di, von and van.  These all mean “of” indicating they were from some place of that name.   

Occupational Names:  Are usually obvious, but often these old occupations have been lost in time and take some research.  Names such as Smith, Cooper and Baker are obvious.  More commonly found in the lowlands of Scotland.  

Descriptive/Nick Names: These often referred to a physical feature or personal trait of a person.  Names such as Dunn, the old English word for dark or Donn, the Gaelic word for brown might be used for a person of dark skin. 

Faresyth, Fersey, Fersith, Fersithi, Fersyth, Fersithsoun, Foresyth,Forsith,  

Forsithe, Forsitht, Forsycht, Forsyth, Forsytht, Forsyhte,and Forsyicht.

We know that the name Forsyth (or a variation of this spelling) is first found in the Scottish records in the mid 1200’s. In ‘The Surnames of Scotland’ by George Fraser Black, published 1866, he says that the origin of name Forsyth appears to be two fold:

1) From a place of that name due to the frequency the name appears in the old Scottish records with the prefix “de”.

2) From the old Gaelic personal name Fearsithe, meaning ‘man of peace’.  He goes on to say that by Gaelic speakers the name is sometimes pronounced  Forsay (for-sigh). 

Another viable theory of the origin of the name Forsyth is that it came from several old Gaelic words: Fear, meaning grass and Sith/Sidh (pronounced shee) meaning  “fairy”and “hill”.  In Scottish place names it is usually considered to note a “fairy hill”. Alison Grant, who wrote an article for “The Bottle Imp”, says this probably came from the Irish phrase aos sidhe meaning ‘people of peace’ which takes us back to the theory that the name Forsyth comes from the Gaelic “man of peace”.

Variations of the word sith/sidh is found in many places in Scotland.  Glenshee, in the highlands of Scotland, meaning ‘fairy glen’ or ‘glen of the fairy hills’ and Sithean Mor, meaning 'large fairy hill', is found on the Isle of Iona are two examples of places whose names derived from this Gaelic word.

Some say that the name originated from a Norsemen by the name of Forsach, who settled in Aquitaine, France.  A descendant of his, the Viscomete de Fronsoc, is said to have traveled to England between 1236 and 1246 and he later was given land in Scotland. There are two Others suggest the name originated from “Forceit the Just”, a Norse mythological figure.  These theories are being investigated. 

Conclusion

As the Forsyth YDNA project indicates there are many bloodlines that carry this surname, as in all Clan’s.  Due to the nature of clans and  how surnames were developed, it is no wonder why there would be multiple bloodlines.

References:

National Endowment For The Humanities: https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/whats-name-how-did-surnames-come-be#sect-thebasics

Scottish At Heart:  https://www.scottish-at-heart.com/scottish-surnames.html

The Varied Paternal ancestors of A Clan. Ed Gustafson, TheGriffin, October 201=7

Washington State University: https://brians.wsu.edu/2016/05/25/multipart-names/

The surnames of Scotland, their origin meaning and history ...Black, George Fraser, 1866-1948.  https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015011274175;view=1up;seq=362

Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/?rlz=1C1CHMO_enUS576US576&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&client=tw-ob#en/gd/man%20of%20peace

The Bottle Imp, Issue 6: Scottish Gothic:  https://www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2009/11/gaelic-place-names-sith-and-sithean/

What’s In A Name, By Mike Forsythe, Griffin Newsletter –April 2013, page 14)

What Indeed Is In A Name, by Alistair C.W. Forsyth of that Ilk, Griffin Newsletter, July 2013, pages 7 and 8.