General Information
The information below covers general word derivations on the surnames we're researching. Specific and detailed genealogical information (as well as gedcom files for downloading) will be available at a later date and only to family members. If you have reason to believe your family tree connects to ours, please email us.

Greene/Geehan/Gaoithin
Gaoithín is the old Irish Gaelic form of the other two anglesized names Geehan and Greene. MacLysaght's The Surnames of Ireland lists both Geehan and Mac Geehan.
Mac Geehan is a Donegal name, often written Mageean. Another Geehan family comes from Roscommon, where the name sometimes is rendered as Guihan or Guiheen. A branch of this family also was established in Kerry. Another variant is Gahan, which is found mainly in Wexford and Wicklow in southeast Ireland. All of these names derive from the Irish Mac Gaoithín or O Gaoithín.Gaoithín is derived from gaoth, which means "wind." The "ín" ending means the name probably means " a little wind," "breeze" or "puff of wind." More info on on Geehan. . .

Oliphant
David Holifard usually is considered to be the progentitor of the House of Oliphant in Scotland. In the 12th century he was granted lands in Roxburghshire by the Earl of Huntingdon, later to become David I of Scotland. It is understood they were friends after David Holifard saved the King's life at the Battle of Winchester in 1141. Another branch, however, has traced the Oliphants back to 500 A.D. in Aberdeen -- the first was a shipwrecked Norwegian nobleman who settled in Scotland and gave the lands of Abernethy to his son-in-law, who became the first Arbuthnot.

The Scottish poetess, Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne, was born in 1766 of the family of Gask. Her celebrated poems include "Charlie is my Darling" and "Will ye no come back again." The principal seat of the Oliphant family is the historic Ardblair Castle near Blairgowrie in Perthshire. Clan Oliphant was closely associated with Clan Melville and the tartan worn by the Oliphants is generally referred to as "Oliphant and Melville," although there seems to be no readily explained family connection. Clan Oliphant is also a sept of Clan Sutherland. More info on Oliphant. . . .

Paitz
According to one book I've found, the original form of "Paitz," which is "Beitz" means "falconer." I'm unsure of the etymology of this word, but if you have any information, please e-mail me at lisa@applewarrior.com. More info on Paitz. . .