Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

Gender neutral/masculine Scottish names

65 replies

WiseGoose · 25/03/2024 09:29

I like the names Owen and Quinn (thoughts?) but neither of Scottish origin so am also looking for any suggestions for a gender neutral / masculine leaning name from closer to home

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
nameXname · 26/03/2024 18:20

I'm so with Billy Connollly here.

Traditionally, in Scotland, surnames - and mothers' surnames only - were given as firstnames to the second sons of families. They were only given to girls when there were no sons and/or when there was a very good chance of inheriting from an ancestor with that name. So, looking back, we can find very rare examples of girls called Lindsay, Maddox etc but these names were 'boys names' used exceptionally, for a particular purpose.

MacKenzie literally means 'son of Kenneth' so I really can't see why it's remotely suitable for a girl, Hollywood notwithstanding.

As previous posters have said, Mairi (pron. Marry) is the Gaelic form of Mary. The quintessential girls name for the past 2000 years. Very hard to think of anything MORE female.

Mhairi is technically not a name by itself - it's the vocative case (the form of the word used when speaking to someone). So it should only be used when saying 'Hello, Mairi' and such like. Sadly - because for a long while Gaelic was banned in Scottish schools - it's been used by people wishing to give their child a Gaelic name but not understanding the basic rules of Gaelic grammar.

James is a male name from the Bible - and so has had the male gender for more than 2000 years. Goodness know why people think the nickname Jamie - arguably, very much associated with posho Anglo-Scots men (tweeds, red trousers etc) until the past 50 years or so - is suitable for girls.

Sandy is indeed the Scottish male nickname of Alexander; Sandra is traditionally the female equivalent. Sandras might sometimes affectionately be called Sandy as a nickname, however.

But each to their own.

Pixit · 26/03/2024 18:21

Quim

SirChenjins · 26/03/2024 18:23

You cannot call a child quim! 😂

Hiddendoor · 26/03/2024 19:48

There is also the wonderfully Scottish tradition of feminising masculine names:

Thomasina
Davidina (I have seen this as well as the less awful Davina)
Andrewina
Torquilina

Are all names of people i have met. God love the girls saddled with the "we really wanted a boy" name.

MaybeRevisitYourWipingT3chnique · 27/03/2024 11:57

Hiddendoor · 26/03/2024 19:48

There is also the wonderfully Scottish tradition of feminising masculine names:

Thomasina
Davidina (I have seen this as well as the less awful Davina)
Andrewina
Torquilina

Are all names of people i have met. God love the girls saddled with the "we really wanted a boy" name.

I always wonder if there are men out there called Ian/Iain who call their daughters Ianina!

It also occurs to me that, if somebody called Ian were to set up a new religion or groundswell movement, his followers would presumably be referred to as Ianians!

MaybeRevisitYourWipingT3chnique · 27/03/2024 11:59

...Why the determination to name girls after their fathers, though? Why not after their mothers, who, presumably, already have a female name?

OneWiseDuck · 27/03/2024 13:58

In the Highlands/Islands children were named after grandparents first, going paternal then maternal. So bad luck if you’re a girl, you’d be named after your grandpa with an -ina on the end!

Also used to be common for children to have the same first name and go by their middle name.

TheOriginalEmu · 27/03/2024 14:29

MaybeRevisitYourWipingT3chnique · 27/03/2024 11:57

I always wonder if there are men out there called Ian/Iain who call their daughters Ianina!

It also occurs to me that, if somebody called Ian were to set up a new religion or groundswell movement, his followers would presumably be referred to as Ianians!

They’d have Ian Beale as their mascot 😂

Pixit · 27/03/2024 14:31

Keep it real, vote for Beale.

Hiddendoor · 27/03/2024 15:50

Maybe not Ianina but a swift Google suggests there are people out there called Johnina which might be the anglicised feminised version of Ian...

As to why the girls weren't named after their mothers? Probably because they wanted a boy, dammit, so they will bloody well use that boy name regardless.

Almost forgot - Katy Morag's Granny Island had a sheep called Alecina. I hated having to read that out loud - is it Aleck-eena or Alesss-eena?

CALLI0PE · 27/03/2024 16:00

I had a relative called Adamina. She was the only baby in Scotland called that in the year she was born.

MurderousCheekbones · 27/03/2024 16:06

Innes/Ines
Jamie
Cameron
Blair
Rowan
Davey
Rory

VenusClapTrap · 28/03/2024 21:10

I know a Bernardina.

MaybeRevisitYourWipingT3chnique · 28/03/2024 21:52

OneWiseDuck · 27/03/2024 13:58

In the Highlands/Islands children were named after grandparents first, going paternal then maternal. So bad luck if you’re a girl, you’d be named after your grandpa with an -ina on the end!

Also used to be common for children to have the same first name and go by their middle name.

So if you had four children, the first two being girls and the last two being boys, would you end up with two DDs named after their grandads and then two DSs named after their grandmas?

If you add 'ina' to the grandad's name to 'feminise' it, what would you do to the grandma's names to 'masculinise' them? Or would the grandmas already be named -ina after their male ancestors, so you'd just drop the ina again?!

cokezeroed · 28/03/2024 22:00

Campbell
Cameron
Mackenzie
Rowan
Blair

New posts on this thread. Refresh page