Scotland Naming Customs: Difference between revisions

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==Online Tools==

*[https://surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/scottish '''Behind the Name, Scottish Surnames''']

*[https://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/scottish'''Behind the Name, Scottish Given Names''']

*[[Guild of One-Name Studies|'''The Guild of One-Name Studies''']]

== Surnames  ==

===Patronymic Surnames===

*Dickson/Ritchie (Richard), Thomson, Williamson/Wilson, Duncan, Rollo, Watt/Watson (Walter's son)

*MacConnochie (MacDhonnchaidh, son of Duncan), MacWilliam (MacUilleim), Quayle/MacPhail (MacPhòill, son of Paul)

* Unlike Ireland, names based on Ò (grandson) are rare. However there are one or two exceptions such as Ogilvy (Ò Ghillebhuidhe grandson of the blonde man, MacGhillebhuidhe in modern Gaelic). O' in Scotland tends to mean "of" and comes from Lowland Scots.

In the '''Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, and many parts of northern Scotland''', many people used patronymic names. The use of patronymics in Scotland was in part a result of '''early Scandinavian settlement into Scotland''', which influenced naming patterns for centuries. While the common use of patronymics eventually died out, their influence is still apparent.

***Craig (Creag, meaning a rock) Forrest, Milne (a mill), Muir (moorland or summer grazing area, Ross (someone living on a headland), Wood

**'''Patronymic''' (based on a person’s father’s name, see above)  

***Braidfute (Broad footed), Fairbairn (Beautiful child), Reid (red), Black  

***Dow (Dubh, dark haired), Keir (ciar, swarthy, or ceàrr, left handed), Breck (Breac, freckled), Douglas (Dùghlas from Dubh-ghlas, dark-grey haired), Gilroy/Kilroy (MacGhilleruaidh, son of the red headed person), Bowie (Buidhe - blonde person), Glass (glas - grey haired)

**'''Ethnic origins'''  

***Wallace (Wealys, a Brython or Welshman), Bremner (Brabant), Inglis (English), Scott, Fleming  

*It should be noted that in the Celtic Church until surprisingly late, that '''churchmen and monks could marry''', hence the proliferation of names such as MacNab (Mac-an-Aba, son of the abbot).

===Clan Names===

===Bynames===

'''Bynames, to-names, or other names''', were once very common in Scotland. These names were used in areas where there were few names in circulation, and '''the bynames were added onto the name of person, in order to distinguish them from others who bore the same name'''. Bynames were particularly prevalent in fishing communities in the '''northeastern part of Scotland, but were also used in the Borders and the West Highlands'''. In some cases within fishing communities, the names of fishing boats were tacked onto the names of people in order to differentiate them from others.<ref>"Scottish surnames", in Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_surnames, accessed 19 February 2021.</ref>

== Given Names  ==

*There are similarities between many Scottish and Irish given names. In the early part of the Middle Ages, the name pools in Gaelic Scotland and Ireland were more or less the same, since the Gaels came to Scotland from Ireland. Over time, the name pools diverged and some early Gaelic names that went out of fashion in one culture remained in fashion in the other. <ref>"Quick and Easy Gaelic Names", by Sharon L. Krossa, https://medievalscotland.org/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/, accessed 19 February 2021.</ref>

===Naming Patterns===

*The seventh through tenth sons were named for their father's four great-grandfathers.  

*The eleventh through fourteenth sons were named for their mother's four great-grandfathers.

*The first daughter was named for her mother's mother.  

Nicknames can lead the researcher astray if used incorrectly. Sandy or Sandie is one example, being used for both Alexander and Alexandra (it is sometimes seen as "Sandi" in its feminine form nowadays); Charlie or Charley being used for both Charles and Charlotte.

==For Further Reading==

*Dorward, David. '''''Scottish Surnames''''' {{WorldCat|249526415|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}

*Dunkling, Leslie Ann. '''''Scottish Christian Names: An A-Z of First Names.''''' London, England: Johnston and Bacon, 1978. {{WorldCat|276727515|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}

*Foster, Craig L. [[Media:Scottish Clans and Naming Patterns C Foster 2018-202031 April 2018 JMR.pdf|'''Scottish Clans and Naming Patterns''']]

*Krossa, Sharon L. [https://medievalscotland.org/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/ '''''Quick and Easy Gaelic Names''''']

*[http://archive.org/stream/glossaryofdialec00hopeuoft#page/148/mode/2up '''"A List of Surnames Pronounced Differently from What the Spelling Suggests"''' ](1883)]<ref>Robert Charles Hope, ''A Glossary of Dialectal Place-nomenclature, To Which is Appended A List of Family Surnames Pronounced Differently from What the Spelling Suggests'' (London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1883). </ref>

== References  ==

[[Category:Scotland]]  

[[Category:Patronyms]]