Initial for Irish names

FEB · 07-12-2010 12:59AM #1

Hi Everyone
I hope i have the right forum for this. I was recently on a stackexchange site and noticed that in several places the people there are suggesting that the initials of John Timothy O'Reilly, for example, are JTO. Here are two threads:

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/3259/how-would-you-abbreviate-surnames-starting-with-mc-o-d
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/560/in-the-format-of-a-b-name-which-is-the-given-name-and-which-is-the-family-name

This strikes me as very odd indeed. However, if you were obliged to use a one-letter initial, what would it be?

Thanks.

Krusader · 07-12-2010 01:04AM

I wouldn't I would use JTO'R

AWard · 07-12-2010 02:04PM

If I *HAD* to use 3 letters, I'd use JTR.

Otherwise I'd use the above^^ JTO'R.

What do other languages condense to like Spanish names whose genealogy is in their names as well...?

FEB · 07-12-2010 02:12PM

@AWard That is what I would have thought, too. You can drop the O, as people have in the past, and you still have a valid name.

An gal gréine · 07-12-2010 04:38PM

Is the Timothy (T) bit so essential?

FEB · 07-12-2010 04:57PM

An gal gréine wrote: »

Is the Timothy (T) bit so essential?

I was quoting from the linked site. I guess you can forget Timothy, if he is an annoyance.

AWard · 07-12-2010 07:18PM

An gal gréine wrote: »

Is the Timothy (T) bit so essential?

If the only way the person is being referred to is by their initials, I'd probably use the Timothy part due to the fact the name is fairly common sounding.

Otherwise, I suppose you could use "the guy over there with the really Irish sounding name"

Initial for Irish names

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