When Bridget O’Hanlon married Thomas McTeague (15 November 1841, Notre Dame de Bons Secours, Montebello, Co. Papineau, Québec), the priest identified her as “Brigitte O’honlon, domiciliée en Grenville, fille majeure de Pierre O’honlon et de Marie Thoõner, domiciliés en Irlande,” which, in English, would read: “Bridget O’Hanlon, domiciled at Grenville, daughter of age of Peter O’Hanlon and of Mary Toner, domiciled in Ireland.”
If your Irish Catholic ancestor was baptized, married or buried by a French Canadian priest, you may find his/her forename (but not surname) given in French in the parish register. Moreover, some of the early records for several Ottawa Valley RC missions and parishes (e.g., Our Lady of Holy Angels, Brudenell, Renfrew Co., Ontario) were written in Latin, with forenames (but not surnames) given in Latin.
Here are a few forenames in translation. I’ll add more names as they occur to me, or as I come across them in the parish registers.
| Latin | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| Aloysius | Louis | Lewis |
| Anastasia | Anne | Ann, Anne, Nancy |
| Andreas | André | Andrew |
| Antonius | Antoine | Anthony |
| Augustinus | Augustin, Augustine | Austin |
| Bartholomeus | Barthélémy | Bartholomew, Bartley |
| Brigida, Brigitta | Bridgitte, Brigitte | Bridget |
| Carolus | Charles | Charles |
| Francisca | Françoise | Frances |
| Franciscus | François | Francis, Frank |
| Georgius | Georges | George |
| Helena | Hélène | Ellen, Helen, Eileen |
| Henricum, Henricus | Henri | Henry |
| Hermani | Armand | Herman |
| Ioannes, Johannes | Jean | John |
| Jacobus | Jacques | James |
| Johanna | Jeanne | Joan, Jane |
| Margareta | Marguerite | Margaret |
| Maria | Marie | Mary |
| Matthias, Mattheus | Mathieu | Matthew |
| Michaelem | Michel | Michael |
| Patricius, Patritius | Patrice | Patrick |
| Petrus | Pierre | Peter |
| Willelmus, Guillelmus | Guillaume | William |
| Stephanus | Stéphane, Étienne | Stephen |
