Is Sgaire a popular name in Scotland?

[Jedimastermama]

I love the name Zackary, my partner prefers the Scottish spelling of the name.

Ive not come across it until now.

Would like your thoughts please.

Thanks

Sorry it’s taken so long to post. It’s been an extremely busy few weeks.

@Jedimastermama

Hi, just thought I'd add a postscript to this. Sgàire is the Gaelic word for (sea)gull, and was historically a traditional name amongst the MacAulays of Lewis. Although it has no etymological connection with Zachary, it used to be common practice to anglicise names to something that sounded similar, and the connection has now stuck.

Sachairi is the modern Gaelic form of the name, as a PP mentioned. If your DP still wants a Scottish version, you might consider Zechrie, the Scots form of the name, although that's never been used in centuries!

Never heard of it.

Sgàire is the Gaelic word for (sea)gull,

This is what my husband refers to his SIL as. It's not a compliment. (He is a Gaelic speaker)

I lived in Lewis a Gaelic speaking part of Scotland for 15 years never ever met anyone called that

it comes from the biblical name Zechariah or Zachariah according to Gaelic dictionary there are 3 gaelic versions Sachairi, Sagairi, Sagaire

OP the answer is no. Scottish people in the past did not, on the whole, indulge in nature mysticism.

Names used in Scotland today reflect UK/USA popular fashions and culture www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/names/babies-first-names/babies-first-names-2018/babies-first-names-2018 see Tables 4 and 5.

Don'tDribble Your husband is a wise man. There's all sorts of rubbish in books and on the internet equating Gaelic words and names with English ones. Most of them are rather like those sites which promise to tell you what your "ancient" clan tartan is - even if those were only organised and formalised post 1745. Which most were.

Scotland's history for well over a millenium has had - for better or worse - a Christian element. That has led to the 'translation' of Biblical or Christian-European names into Gaelic or Scots language equivalents. But only a very few of the hundreds of Bible names were widely used in Gaelic-speaking Scotland until the 20th century. Non-Christian European names - such as Greek-origin Helen /Ellie and Alexander - were also copied. Their Gaelic versions have, over the centuries, become more popular as Alasdair and Eilidh, but the fact remains that they, and many others, are not Scottish-origin names.

This website shows which names were ACTUALLY used in the Middle Ages for Scottish women. Most are Christian/Biblical, a few preserve Norse/Pictish/Gaelic traditions:
heraldry.sca.org/names/scottishfem.

If you want to go further back than that, then you come up against names such as 'Gruoch', the name of Lady Macbeth, and her son, Lulach, which probably few would use today.

What a fascinating post @florascotia2 !