In his article on Yuletide in the Daily News for December 21, George A. Brennan declares that his surname is of Norse origin and that the first Brennan took his name from the "burning wheel" that was used symbolically during the festivities attending the return of the sun from its most southerly declinations.

Brennan is a surname derived from the verb "bren" or "brenna," the English variant of which is "burn."

A piece of wild land cleared in any manner whatever became a "Ry," derived from the verb "rydde" the English variant of which is "rid;" the definite plural of "Ry" is "Ryan."

A piece of wild land cleared by burning became a "Brenna," the definite plural of which is "Brennan," in old Norse form.

I think it is not at all likely that the symbolic Yuletide "burning wheel" had anything to do with the origin of surname Brennan.

The greater number of Norse surnames from time immemorial relate to some aspect, condition or location of the piece of land occupied as a homestead by the person named. These surnames are, in other words, mostly descriptive form names, and Brennan is one of them.

The grand significance of the real old surnames, such as were planted along the shores of Great Britain and Ireland during the Viking age, lies in their perpetuation of some singular characteristic of the old cherished homestead. The Anglo-Saxon tongue, being closely related to the Old Norse, developed groups of surnames in the same manner, upon the same principal and the rootverbs in these old tongues being almost identical, it becomes very difficult now to distinguish an English or Irish surname of Norse origin from one of 3Anglo-Saxon origin. However, where the corresponding old Norse form name survives in actual service, there is but little doubt of the real derivation of any such ancient surname.