Today IGSI members received a link to the Ginealas e-Newsletter for February-March, 2025.

This issue contains 19 pages of 'hearty' genealogical articles in celebration of Valentine's Day month but also carrying lively and useful guidance about many Irish genealogy topics.

I'm going out on a limb to share one short story here, to show non-member blog readers what you're missing by not receiving this publication and by not having member access to the IGSI Surname Database.

Surname Interests

What’s Your Ainm?

Qua

by Sandra Mc Laughlin

One person has entered the last name “Qua” in the IGSI Surname Database. Although there are other Irish surnames that begin with “Q,” (Quinn, Quigley, McQuaid, etc.), there is no “Q” in the Irish alphabet.

John Grenham (johngrenham.com) lists Qua as an official Irish surname, with variants listed as McWaugh, McWha, Mewha, and Quaw. Ironically, there is no “W” in the Irish alphabet either! It’s possible the “Q” was originally a “C.” Or as Grenham suggests, a derivative of Mac Quaid which was originally Mac Uaid, meaning “son of Wat” (which would be of Scottish origin – note the “W”).

There were 9 Qua households in Ireland in 1864, all in Armagh, which is our Qua’s origin county. In the 1911 Irish Census there were 12 Qua households registered; 2 in Antrim, 9 in Armagh, and 1 in Mayo. More recently, one can find 93 people with the surname Qua in Ireland, 44 in Canada, and 438 in the U.S.

My Irish teacher wasn’t sure of the correct pronunciation; however, she ventured to guess either “Kay” or “Kooah.” 

(Fix your non-IGSI-member status by clicking on the Join tab at left.)