Scottish names - for Eilidh

[marmitecheesetoast]

DC2 is due in June, we don’t know what we’re having.

DD is Eilidh. Scottish but we are currently living in Manchester. Possibly will move back to Scotland in next few years but not certain. I would quite like DC2 to have a Scottish name too, but doesn’t have to be.

The problem is neither of us love any name as much as Eilidh! Last time I was in labour and we still hadn’t agreed any boys names so luckily DD was a girl!

Actually the one boys name I’ve always loved is Euan, but DH hates it and hasn’t been convinced over the last 3 years

So, current shortlists:

Boys:
Angus (would this be too much living in England?!)
Alasdair (I think I love how it looks written down more than how it sounds? And I know we’d always be correcting the spelling here)
Finlay (quite popular)
Fraser (would people just think of Frasier?!)
Murray

None of them compare to Euan for me.

Girls:
Flora (would people just think of the margarine?!)
Isla (so popular though)
Fiona (DH not keen)
Elspeth (DHs favourite, I like it not but sure it’s not a bit ‘lispy’)
Ishbel (probably not realistic living in England, and DH not keen)

Iona is lovely but doesn’t work with our surname

Other names we like not on the Scottish theme are
Alice
Eleanor (probably too similar to Eilidh)
Edith
Mary (but it rhymes with Eilidh so think that’s a no-go!)
Florence
Esther
Orla

Thoughts, honest opinions and suggestions most welcome!

You can’t call a boy Iona - it’s a relatively common girls name.

How about Erin? Gaelic-ish but easy to say. Also starts with 'e'!

Phew, nursery pick up and bedtime done, thanks for all the input!

I think we’re now fairly close to agreeing on Flora as the frontrunner for a girl

I have always liked Mairi too, but didn't include it on our shortlist as think pronunciation would be difficult down here.

Boys names still seem hard, but got a good few to think about and we’ve got a few months yet! I think boys shortlist remains something like
Alasdair
Angus
Fraser
Finlay

Harris and Fergus vetoed by DH.

A few people have suggested Alexander too which we do like - it was actually the front runner if DD had been a boy last time! But we were never too sure about it as I don’t like any of the shortenings (and I know it would shortened) apart from possibly Sandy, which isn’t really workable while we live in England!

@museumum I was never suggesting Iona for a boy, I meant I liked it for a girl but it doesn’t work with our surname.

@widgetbeana Ooh I do like Erin, and DH is half Irish! Possibly too similar to Eilidh though??

@Helspopje so sorry for your losses , agree Sandy is the best nn for an Alexander!

I really like Alasdair. Marsali for a girl? It's Gaelic, a form of Marjorie.

I love Angus for a boy. Now to persuade DP... 😆

Innes is my favourite Scottish boys name, Cora for a girl

Islay instead of Isla?

What about brodie or Arran for a boy?

Mirren for a girl?

Love Alexander (nn Sandy). Why isn't Sandy workable in England? Your child, your rules!

(I know loads of people who've announced their baby's name as James, to be known as Jamie, for example)

Eilidh and Alexander.... sounds good

I don’t think Mairi is too problematic in England. Flora is lovely though, nice Scottish name, no spelling or pronounciation issues. You could consider Sorcha or Shona,

Hamish, Gregor, Struan, Gordon, Moray, Brodie. I think Alasdair is lovely and he’s got the options of Ali or Al.

These are the Scottish names I like-

Boys-
Callum
Alistair
Finley
Angus
Cameron
Graser
Finley (Finn)
Fraser
Hamish
Kester

Girls -
Esther
Rona
Isla
Piper
Iona
Rowan

(I also love Brìghde, (Bridget) - but maybe that's a bit much if you're in England and not speaking Gaelic?)

How about Owen instead of Euan?

Very very sorry if this sounds negative, but, just for the record:

Esther is Hebrew.
Piper is English.
Rowan is the name of a tree that grows in Scotland but it is not an exclusively Scottish name. It has Viking /Norse origins. www.scotslanguage.com/articles/view/id/1559

Graser must be a typing error?

Islay instead of Isla?

But they'd be pronounced the same so not sure why you would unless you were sticking to the Island spelling?

@florascotia2 - no, though I am very impressed!

Fair enough - they're names that can be associated with Scotland

(...apart from Esther - I should have looked into the etymology of that one.)

Fraser

Angus is AMAZING

I’m in Scotland. I adore Flora....
My DD has girls in her class called Rhona, Mackenzie, Maisie, loads of Islas and a Breah (not sure how to spell that bit it’s Gaelic for beautiful) a colleague is called Caitriaina which is the Gaelic spelling of Catriona which is pretty.
There are boys called Hugh, Moray, Rory, Rhuaridh, Hunter, James, Jamie and Drew.

I have Scottish relatives called:

Angus
Russell
Alex (Sandy)
Hamish

Agnes
Annie
Nancy
Rhona

Of those names my favourites are Russell, Hamish, Annie and Rhona.

I really like Hamish. Or how about Menzies?

Love this post as my two eldest children are called Ewan and Eilidh!!!!

I have six and seventh on the way after that we went for : Peter (my husband’ name), Cait, Harry (he has Alexander as a middle name) and Robbie (Robert on birth certificate but always known as Robbie. Our surname is Blair which I think gives a Scottish flavour to all the names.

We are now struggling with name for a baby number 7 who is girl. Eilidh is such a fantastic name imo -hard to follow. Cait our younger daughter really likes her name and we do too- though I am not sure it will pass official Gaelic test.

Boys names - I do think Ewan is perfect match for Eilidh, but I also love Alexander, Rory and James. Peter is timeless.

We are struggling with girls name for this baby - nothing we are super enthusiastic about - so feel your pain - what about Kirstie or Kirsty - we can’t use but it is nice or Cate/Cait???

Many of the Scottish clan names can be used as a 1st name with or without the “Mac”. So (Mac)Donald, (Mac)Kenzie, (Mac)Dougall, (Mac)Gregor for example. My own DS is called Maxwell. Have a browse of the clans and see if something pops out at you. Also like Ranald for a boy.

I like Finlay a lot. Also love Flora, there are a couple at DD's school and I've never even thought about the margarine connection. I think most people have the sense to use butter these days lol. How about Orla or Calla ... Callan for a boy or Cameron

Oh and Erin but fairly common now