Scottish inspiration

[fairytimes]

I have been going over and over lists of Scottish names and I'm really wondering if there's any hidden gems I haven't come across. Husband is Scottish and would like to honour that but he's been absolutely useless when it comes to actually coming up with suggestions.

Could you please share some of your favourite Scottish names? For either gender as we have decided not to find out until the birth so trying to prepare names for both boys and girls.

No middle names decided so far. We really are procrastinating when it comes to this but we have a few months to go.

ShanKayak

No, I am sorry, that is wrong. Mairi is the name. This is from the offical 'Learn Gaelic' website, run by a consortium of the leading Gaelic language organisations in Scotland.

" The vocative case is used in Gaelic when a person is being addressed by their name. This case changes some names so that Dòmhnall (Donald), becomes "A Dhòmhnaill" - note that an ‘h’ is added and the name is slenderised, that is to say an ‘i’ is added.
‘Màiri’ becomes ‘a Mhàiri’, but it does not need to have an ‘i’ added! Names like Eilidh, or Una, which start with vowels do not change. "

learngaelic.scot/fichead-facal/ff-names-girls.jsp

More about the consortium:
learngaelic.scot/about.jsp

When talking to people you use the vocative, but the actual name is the nominative. (That's what nominative means.)

Yeah, ShanKayak, it’s really not true that it’s the norm to use the vocative form in Gaelic. By definition, really - the nominative is the root form of the name; the vocative is the form used for directly addressing someone. Vocative forms are used as names by people who are around Gaelic users but don’t know the language. A Gaelic speaker would not use the vocative form as the standard name.

Okay. Explain why the name Hamish is regarded as Scottish, Shamus as Irish.

Seumas is the Scottish name (James in Gaelic). The Irish Gaelic name is very similar.

Hamish is an English-language name. It is based on the vocative of Seumas ( = a Sheumais) which sounds rather like Hamish.

learngaelic.scot/fichead-facal/ff-names-boys.jsp

Not sure if these have been mentioned

Keir
Innes
Lyall
Stewart
Cairn

Vaila
Nairne

I'm also Scottish and haven't met anyone with most of the names on this thread! Angus was a popular name in my family with the older generation and we also had a Darroch as a surname... Not heard that in years actually!

I really like Fraser though!

Isla
Cairn

Innes
Keir

Calvin
Nicol
Bruce

Rhona

Malcolm

Another vote for Innes.

Some fab names on here - just wanted to point out some older / more commonly used Scottish names / names with Scottish links that folk often overlook.

Craig
Douglas
Duncan
Gordon
Grant
Leslie
Stewart

Okay. Explain why the name Hamish is regarded as Scottish, Shamus as Irish.

Well I can’t explain why you think Seamus is an Irish name and not a Scottish name. It’s commonly used in Scotland, especially in Gaelic-speaking areas and belongs to both cultures.

I’ve not heard of a Irish Hamish. The English corruption of the vocative of Seamus become common in Scotland for some reason and maybe didn’t in Ireland. Nothing to do with Seamus being Irish - Hamish would not exist in Scotland if Seamus wasn’t a commonly used name there!

See new thread on Gaelic grammar.

North East Scotland. I know boys named:

Angus
Magnus
Ewan
Alasdair
Ross
Murray
Ruairaidh
Lewis
Douglas
Finlay

Girls named:
Ailsa
Isla
Eilidh
Iona
Morven
Flora
Iona

OP, you mentioned Fenella. Fenella (there are various other spellings of this woman's name) killed King Kenneth II in revenge for the death of her son in 995. Rather than be captured she then threw herself over a waterfall.

Fenella would be an excellent name for a feisty girl! It's unusual, but not difficult to spell.

Logan or Innes for a boy
Catriona or Annis for a girl

Is Mairi not pronounced MAH-ree in an English accent? DH is Scottish and this is our top girl's name.

All the people called Mairi who I know in Scotland pronounce it 'Marry', if that helps. But they all have Scottish accents - although they are not all from the same region.

Robbie
Andrew
Darragh (pronounced Dara) maybe Irish tho

Fiona
Kirsten/Kirsty
Isabelle
Katriona
Morven
Mirren

Murray is good.

Struan
Ross
Douglas
Donald
Harris
Lachlan
Tam
Jimmy
Angus
Gordon
Ruari/Rhuairidh
Malcolm
Bruce
Stirling
Clyde
Stewart
Montgomery
Cairn
Kirk
Keith
Nairn
Nevis
Arran
Lewis
Brodie

Eilidh
Catriona
Eilish
Sheena
Heather
Isla
Iona
Ione
Skye
Senga
Morag
Kyla

What about Sadie?

Keith
Hugh
Shug
Wullie
James
Peem
Robert/Bobby/Boab
Doug/Dougie
Farquhar
Rennie
Blair

for Girls names, just slap two random syllables together then stick an 'a' on the end of it. It's easy.

I'm expecting a boy (and I'm Scottish) and I really love Lennox and Lachlan

@florascotia2

cathy Perhaps you are joking. But if not:

Merida is not Scottish. It was used by Disney in a film about Scotland but that does not make it a Scottish name..

It is also the name of a Spanish (and Mexican) city and a very big Taiwanese-German bike manufacturer.

Yes, I overheard a little girl being called Merida and I hoped it wasn’t because her parents thought it was a Scottish name.

Someone up thread said Merryn. That’s Cornish.

Senga has been mentioned a couple of times and I would just like to note that it’s not a name in it’s own right, but a dreaded Backwards Spelling of Agnes.

Iona
Skye
Moran
Isobel