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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Shona

56 replies

MissMoodyMoo · 28/08/2020 18:53

My daughter has a scottish Gaelic name I would like to keep the names scottish

Is shona too boring?

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florascotia2 · 29/08/2020 15:01

Beware most baby-name websites - they are usually wrong.
Please forgive me, but here are just some examples, from the list above:

Iona does not mean purple jewel - it means 'Place of the Yew Tree'. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona

Mhairi is the vocative case of the name Mairi, the Scottish Gaelic version of Mary. Grammatically speaking, 'Mhairi' should only used when talking to someone called Mairi, though in recent years it has been used as a separate name. It's pronounced 'Varry' (listen here: forvo.com/search/Mhairi/sco/ )
(In the same way, Hamish is the (anglicised) vocative case of Seamas, but has become a separate name.)

Nathair does mean snake, but it's used for reptiles, not people. It specifically means 'viper' or 'adder' ie a poisonous snake.

See Gaelic dictionary here: www.faclair.com/?txtSearch=Snake
And it's not pronounced Nathara - more like NAH-hir. You can listen here www.faclair.com/Listen/nathair.mp3

Maidie is not widely used as a Scottish girl name. It's more of a pet-name. The only example I can think of was Maidie Dickson, wife of comedian Chic (Charles) Murray. They were famous mid 20th century, from the 1940s-1960s. I think - but I might be wrong - that her given name was Maud.

Otherwise, Maidie is not particularly Scottish. It is an affectionate nickname based on the English-languge word 'maid' (young girl). www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198610601.001.0001/acref-9780198610601-e-5469?rskey=DpdpFU&result=4694

Maisie is however a well-known Scottish nickname or short form of Margaret.

Annabel does not mean 'beautiful grace'; it derives from Latin 'Amabilis' which means 'loveable' www.behindthename.com/name/amabel

LunaLoved · 29/08/2020 12:27

I love it. A normal but underused name.

Bouncingbelle · 29/08/2020 02:47

Love it!

Uncommon but not weird, don’t know why it isn’t more popular!

bananabeachhouse · 29/08/2020 01:06

@MissMoodyMoo

Scotswoman here! Shona sounds nice as a name itself, but it's definitely considered a middle-aged name in Scotland, if that affects your decision at all. If you like Scottish names, some I think are quite nice are - (with phonetic spelling just to give full effect)

Iona : meaning is purple jewel
Eilidh (" 'A'-Lee") : meaning is sun ray
Mhairi (V"ah-ree") : meaning is bitter
Bonnie : meaning is beautiful
Mai ("Me") meaning is pearl
Annabel meaning is beautiful grace

My name's Caitlin as well, which means 'pure' if that interests you.
If you want to go slightly more hardcore on the Scots names;

Aileana ("ah lee an ah") : *meaning is from the green meadow"
Forba / Forbia : meaning is headstrong
Inghean : ("ing hee yan") meaning is daughter
Ailsa: ("ale suh") : meaning is supernatural victory
Flora: meaning is goddess of flowers
Maidie: meaning is young woman
Nathaira / Nathara: meaning is snake

Not sure if this helps but thought I might contribute haha!

AlwaysLatte · 29/08/2020 00:03

Not knowing the name, I would assume Seonaid was pronounced the same as Sinead. Shona's alright, except I went to primary school with two Shonas and that was back in the late 70s so I always associate it as old fashioned but not old fashioned enough to become fashionable, iyswim.

HollyBen · 28/08/2020 23:55

I like it!!

@AlternateNamShe seriously!?!?! I am Scottish and live in Scotland. My daughter has a Gaelic name. We spend 4 years in Asia. No one even thought to comment on it as they were totally used to names from different cultures. She loves her name as do we

Bubbletrouble43 · 28/08/2020 23:47

I worked with a lady who spelt it Sheona, not sure how authentic that spelling is but I think it's pretty.

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 28/08/2020 23:37

It's pretty dated; the only ones I know are in their 50s.

Tillygetsit · 28/08/2020 23:26

I like it a lot.

EchidnasPhone · 28/08/2020 23:04

Makes me think of the 70’s/80’s. Not. Fan at all. What about Isla? Or Veda? Even Alba - if we’re talking Scotland...

DramaAlpaca · 28/08/2020 22:57

It's lovely.

Rachellow · 28/08/2020 22:46

I think all the ones I know are mid to late 20s but it's nice. The only thing I would say is that my friend would get Shauna quite a lot despite spelling it Shona.

Gottheteeshirtandlostit · 28/08/2020 22:22

Love it. Also can be spelt Shonagh.

JanewaysBun · 28/08/2020 22:21

Lovely!
I know 1 Shona born 1986

DrDetriment · 28/08/2020 22:15

It's sweet but a bit 80s. Makes me think that her friends would be Debbie and Sharon.

midsomermurderess · 28/08/2020 21:55

I would say it is dated in Scotland, 1960s/1970s.

Shayisgreat · 28/08/2020 21:14

Shona is a lovely name. I really like it.

Firebird83 · 28/08/2020 21:12

It sounds a bit dated, but maybe it isn’t in Scotland.

SBTLove · 28/08/2020 19:46

@AlternateNamShe already has a child with a Gaelic name, as do I, I do live in Scotland and there are plenty of Scots/Irish around the world use Gaelic spellings.
Would you say that to someone with a Chinese or French spelling? bit rude

timetest · 28/08/2020 19:46

Pretty name.

purplecorkheart · 28/08/2020 19:45

I think it is a lovely name.

MikeUniformMike · 28/08/2020 19:42

IIRC

MikeUniformMike · 28/08/2020 19:40

I know a Shona but spelt Seonagh

florascotia2 · 28/08/2020 19:26

Seonaid is not pronounced like 'Shona'. Depending which Gaelic speaking region you are from, it's more like Shonn-idge.

Shona is more like Seonag (pronounced Show-nak or Show-nag), which is the Gaelic for Jane or Joan, but it has been used for a very long time as a name in it's own right, pronounced approx 'Show-nah'. As previous poster says, it's become a Scottish classic.

LizzieMacQueen · 28/08/2020 19:21

I like it. Similar vein to Lorna, Morag and Fiona.

Ishbel's what I would go for though.

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