I'm a Corlew. Certain people try to call me 'Curlew' and I'm not related to the bird. All of this is speculation, but it's believed (by a guy who actually wrote a book on the family's history in the US and did a lot of research) that before Corlew, it was Corlieu. This is OK - that's how they pronounced my name when I sent an e-mail during Rick Fielding's netcast CD release. I could possibly pass for a French Canadian, except I don't look anything like one.

Before Corlieu, it was Corrslieve...s'cuse me. It was something in Gaelic. (For anyone who has wondered, my murdering of Gaelic spelling isn't meant as a criticism of the language but an invitation to laugh at my complete ignorance). It came from 'Cor' (it means a place, doesn't it?) and 'Llud' (who was a Celtic god - feel free to enlighten me).   

I had an aunt who insisted our first ancestors came to the US from Ireland. Various people on both sides of my family have traced our geneology back to, in a very few cases, as early as the 1400s. I have pale skin, freckles and reddish hair. You'd think, wouldn't you? No one has found evidence that even ONE ancestor came from Ireland. The guy that wrote the book theorized that we started out in Switzerland with the Helvitii, so I can at least feel like I'm a Celtic type.