View Message

Simpson is actually an English surname meaning, like Anneza said, "Son of Simon". An Irish surname would instead have the prefix "O" . . . as in "O'Donnald" or "O'Brady" (which can both be spelled as Odonnald or Obrady, albiet less common/traditionally). . . O means Descendant of, as opposed to "Son" meaning "Son". A Scottish surname would, in turn, have a "Mac" or "Mc", as in "MacPherson" or "McCoy" . . . "Mac"/"Mc" means "Son". The word "Son", at least in a context meaning "Son of. . . " appears in no traditional Irish or Scottish surnames.

---

That isn't to say that your family isn't from Ireland or Scotland; you have to remember that, at one point in time, England controlled much of the civilized world and, as such, imposed their society (religion, surnames, and all) upon as many of their new found "subjects" as possible. It is worthy to note, though, that the IRA, the Irish Republican Party (I would assume), would not likely be chasing your great-grandfather unless he did something major . . . so chances are that you'll figure the story out sometime