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Pirate Surnames?

By denialism on August 16, 2007.

The Telegraph reports on surnames which may indicate a pirate heritage.

With all that pillaging and looting, it could be one of the bloodiest reunions in history when descendants of six of Britain's famous pirates are invited to a get-together.

People with the surnames Morgan, Rackham, Bonny, Read, Kidd or Teach, are being invited to discover possible connections with the likes of Blackbeard and Calico Jack, in a series of events by English Heritage. Dressing as a sea dog is optional.

Proving your lineage with a real-life buccaneer, however, may prove difficult. Abigail Baker, of the genealogy research organisation Achievements Ltd, said: "What could be more exhilarating than finding you are related to one of Britain's most colourful characters?"

However, said Miss Baker, due to their nefarious backgrounds, pirates rarely kept records of their activities. So proving a link can be tricky.

I'm sad that "Myers" is not included among the likely names, and since it's British, I'm sadly out of luck. Any Dutch pirates of note?

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There's nothing wrong with starting your own pirate dynasty. The Bloody Hoofnagles sounds damned ferocious.

And while there may be a shortage of historical pirates named Myers, there's enough of a myth of Black P-Zed and his ship, the Godless Cephalopod, that people keep sending me pirate stuff.