Surnames

 Rhea was first used as a surname among the descendants of the ancient Scottish people known as the Picts. It was a name for a prosperous person. The Gaelic form of the surname Rhea is Mac Rath, which literally means son of grace or son of prosperity.

Where did the Picts come from originally?

Picts were a tribal confederation of Celtic peoples, who lived in the ancient eastern and northern Scotland. The Picts are thought to be the descendants of the Caledonii peoples and other Celtic tribes mentioned by Roman Historians.

Are the Scots and the Picts the same: The Picts were better organized, more unified, and had a more powerful army. The Scots, on the other hand, were unruly, untrustworthy, cunning, but fierce fighters.

Are Picts and Vikings the same?

When the Vikings arrived in Orkney, it was already inhabited by a people known as the Picts. They were the descendants of Orkney's Iron Age broch builders, and by 565 AD they had been incorporated into the larger Pictish kingdom of northern mainland Scotland.

What happened to the Picts?

The Picts were massacred at a battle near the town of Grangemouth, where the rivers Carron and Avon meet. According to Northumbrian sources, so many Picts died they could walk dry-shod across both rivers.

What is the Pictish race?

Pict, (possibly from Latin picti, “painted”), one of an ancient people who lived in what is now eastern and northeastern Scotland, from Caithness to Fife. Their name may refer to their custom of body painting or possibly tattooing.

What language did the Picts speak?

Pictish language, language spoken by the Picts in northern Scotland and replaced by Gaelic after the union in the 9th century of the Pictish kingdom with the rest of Scotland.

Did the Romans fight the Picts?

The Picts held their territory against the invading Romans in a number of engagements and, although they were defeated in battle, they won the war; Scotland holds the distinction of never falling to the invading armies of Rome, even though the Romans attempted conquest numerous times.

Are the Picts still alive?

TEN percent of Scottish men are directly descended from the Picts, according to a new discovery by a DNA project. Generations of historians have questioned why the Picts seemed to disappear from history after fighting the Romans and Vikings.

Byrd is a surname of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is a variant spelling of the English word "bird," which is derived from the Old English pre-7th-century word "bridde" (Middle English "brid" or "bird"). Another common variant of this surname is "Bird."