patronymic

the form of a name used in many cutures that derives from the given name of the father; the p. is used generally to distinguish the gender of the individual carrying it from others with the same given name; the p. is indicated sometimes by a suffix, e.g., English, Nordic (-son); sometimes by a prefix, e.g., Celtic (O'-, Mac-), sometimes in a phrase using a pre-positive particle, e.g., Welsh (ap); the p. usually has masculine, e.g., -son, ap, and feminine, e.g., -datter, verch, forms depending on the sex of the individual carrying it.