Gah.

[burntcopper]

This bloody Sharpe/Riley bunny is eating my brain. I've just checked, and Iowa didn't enter the union until 1846. It was acquired from France. I'm reading up on the history, and though it appears there were English-descent people in Iowa before then, it was mostly French, Spanish, and the Ioway Indians before then. Anyone reckon Riley originating from Iowa could still work or will I have to have him coming from another state?

Comments

[antheia.livejournal.com]

Hmmm....Riley Finn.

A little research turned up that the name 'Finn' originates in France (http://www.genealogyweb.com/cgi-bin/cntry01). 'Riley' is an Irish name meaning 'valiant'. So what if he was the son of a French father and an English mother?

:rubs hands:

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

Oooo, this could definitely work. Thankyou!

Re: :rubs hands:

[antheia.livejournal.com]

you're welcome. that site could be totally unreliable, admittedly, but it's worth a shot, right?

Re: :rubs hands:

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

:snerk: It is, at least when it comes to when the name originates and what your family are like - amazingly, all the names I inputted brought up 'first appears between 11th and 12th centuries' - surprisingly, Domesday era when everyone had to be taxed - and 'honest, guv, influential among other powerful families of the area'. Especially the Smiths.

Though the French or Irish thing is at least accurate.

Re: :rubs hands:

[antheia.livejournal.com]

well that's something, then.

worst case scenario, you could always say that finn was derivative of some french name, though I can't think what, offhand...