I am looking at Quebec 1851-71 period there are many relatives they refer to with suffix Dit Marin what does it mean?

Question

Several children in the Forrest family are referred to with this suffix. It translates "says marin".

Comments

Marin means sailor.

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it is also a given name, not much seen nowadays, at least in this province.

Answer 1

hi Jim,

First of all, they are NOT a suffix.  Québécois project page guidelines on names contains a description of some of the ways these come about, as well as how to treat them in our shared tree.

The term dit does not translate as ''says'' in this usage.  Said would be closer, called would be even closer.  It's often equated to English aka (also known as), which is fairly close.

Answer 2

Aaagh! "dit names" are often an issue. Just do a search on "dit" names in FAQ and you will get answers to your question. Happy reading!

Answer 3

Surnames were often quite common (due to a relatively closed society) and first names were usually suggested by the church resulting in the duplication of names in small communities. To avoid confusion "nicknames" were formalized and often the person and their family were more known by that "nickname" than by their official identity. It is like a formalised and acceptable "nickname". "Dit" would mean "known as". This practise is not specific to Quebec. It is also common in other rural communities. Usually the family and individual are known only by their "dit" ....name except for official use.