Help - Scottish girls' names - Jessie?

[1morecupofcoffee]

DP and I have just about decided on Jessie as the name for our first baby, due in August. It's pretty much the only name we both like so far, and it's one of my favourites, I also have a lovely relative with the name. Not short for Jessica (which we don't really like), just on its own - as far as I know it is often used as a 'free-standing' name in Scotland, though it can also be short for Jean/Janet.

We are still having doubts though - does anyone know of any other good Scottish girls' names, or have any recommendations for books where we might find some? I am Scottish though we live down under now. Thoughts on Jessie also appreciated.
Thanks!

Mhairi - gaelic for Mary
Eilidh - gaelic for Helen - means bright or shining light
Catriona
Rhona
Morag
Morven - a mountain
Senga - Agnes backwards but very popular
Maisie - nn from Margaret
Kirsty
Shona
Shoona
Sheena ( I think)
Arlene

I really like Jessie. People will assume it's Jessica though. She'll spend her whole life saying her name really is just Jessie.

Catriona
Eilidh
Iona
Ailsa
Ishbel
Bethag
Morag

Lots here

I have a Jessie! All grown up now. Some people do assume it's short for Jessica, but not too many. She ended up with it shortened to Jess, she doesn't use Jessie much.

I teach a fab Jessie. She's 18. No one thinks her name is really Jessica.

It is a lovely name.

Thanks guys! Mhairi is lovely, Senga and Ishbel too, will check out the website, cheers Carrotsandcelery. Still favouring Jessie at the mo!

Mhairi is pronounced Varee - just incase you didn't realise.

PLEASE don't call your dd Senga!

It's Agnes backwards and is more caricature than anything else, these days.

Jessie is lovely, not keen on Jessica either!

Annabel
Blair
Bonnie
Cameron ..not a fan of the meaning
Davina
Elspeth
Fia
Fyfa
Islay /Isla
Isobel
Robina
Rossalyn

Mhairi is, indeed, (correctly) pronounced Varr-y, but you could also use Mairi if you want the "M" sound.

Please not Senga though. It conjures up a picture of a wifie coming out of the bingo!

I love Eilidh and Mairi. Jessie is very sweet too but is sometimes used to describe someone who is not very brave as in 'a big jessie'.

Noooooo is Blair a girls name? I've only ever met or heard of boy Blairs.

Ilsa
Malvine (Mal-Veen)
Fiona
Morag
Meg - Short for Margaret
Isobel
Maggie - Short for Margaret again
Katrine (cat-rin)

oh and please please not Senga, to me its what you call a Scottish chav :o

It's unisex LisMcA, I went to school with a female Blair, lovely name on either sex Congratulations on your new bundle! x

I really like the name Senga mainly because my mum has a very cool old friend with the name, but I probably won't actually use it - I'm not keen on names ending in 'a', also put off by the agnes/sheep association.

Having said that, the other name my DP really likes is Gemma, which is growing on me.

I would stick with Jessie if I were you.

Do not use Senga!!! I have never heard of anyone in real life being called this - agree wholeheartedly with the bingo/chav comments above!

Jessie is nice - I guess if you actually lived in Scotland there'd be the "ya big jessie" thing (i.e. a slang term for a wimp/wuss) but since you're down under shouldn't be an issue

Have to say I'm a bit pissed off with all the 'chav'/bingo comments, they sound really ugly and snobbish to me. Incredibly, daimbardiva, people are actually called senga in real life, it's just a name FFS. Would you be happy saying 'you mustn't use that name (that you haven't even said you want to use) because it sounds too black/Jewish/working class' - presumably 'working class' is what chav is code for? 'Chav' seems to be used in the same way as the words 'ned' and 'schemie' are in Scotland - i.e. somebody I enjoy looking down on. 'Schemie' is even more blatent class prejudice as it means someone born on a housing scheme (i.e. council estate). Grrrr.
Rant over.

Senga has spoken!

1 more cup of coffee - it is unfortunate but some names do have connotations and if the OP wasn't aware of them then it's ok for others to give their opinion. Incidentally, I think chav/ned/schemie is more to do with taste than social class!
OP - have two DS's and our family is complete, but I always really liked Aila for a girl.

No offence meant *1morecupofcoffee" - sorry if I hit a raw nerve somehow, but the OP was asking for honest opinions, and what certain names said to us, and that's all I remarked on.

I'm sure there are people called Senga out there - I didn't say there weren't - but I genuinely have not come across any, whereas I have heard it used as a "joke" name a lot.

There are definitely names I don't like because they sound chavvy/neddy whatever ...but there are also names I'd not use because they sound too posh. I don't equate that with racism at all, as you suggest, and I do resent you suggesting that I would. And if any of that makes me resolutely middle-class, then so be it.

And I agree with poster above who said that the use of chav/ned etc. is more to do with taste than class anyway, that was certainly the tone in which I used it anyway.

Senga is really dated. Most are in their 50s. It is also a strawberry.

I am also not a big fan of Jessie because of the "ye big Jessie" connotations.

Having looked at these threads a lot though I think I must be quite open to the images that names suggest to me and easily put off by them as frequently make comments like this. However, I suspect there are other people like me in the population who would make those same links on first meeting your child.

I associate the word chav with taste and not class, I don't recall anyone mentioning council houses except you.