With all the interest in Irish names these days (including by us–our Cool Irish Names for Babies will be out on St. Patrick’s Day)–and all the talk about Gaelic and Celtic charm, we sometimes forget that there are other species of Gaelic/Celtic names out there. You don’t have to be one of the 9.2 million Americans with Scottish or Scots-Irish roots to find these names engaging, though if you happen to be a Ferguson or a MacPherson, Scottish baby names would have special meaning for you.
A blend of several different cultures, Scottish names make for a varied mix. The Scots themselves were a Celtic tribe that emigrated across the Irish Sea around 500 AD, so that many Scottish names derive from Old Irish ones. New names were added to the pot by waves of invaders and settlers, including Viking warriors, and others were inspired by places and words. The Scots were in the vanguard of using the mother’s maiden name as a child’s first–leading to examples like Blair, Keith and Fraser–and were also prone to feminizing boys’ names, with such curious results as Williamina and Angusina.
Many modern Edinburgh parents tend to stray away from the traditional Scottish names and follow international trends–the current top 5 girls’ names are Sophie, Emma, Lucy, Katie, and Erin–but others are returning to their roots. Here are some interesting Scottish baby names you may not have considered:
GIRLS
AILIE (from the Gaelic Eilidh)
EFFIE (from the Gaelic Oighrig)
GREER (also used for boys in Scotland)
ISOBEL/ISHBEL
BOYS
AULAY
TAM
Tags: Blair, boys' names, Celtic, Gaelic, girls' names, Keith, Scottish baby names, Scottish baby names
This entry was posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 2:27 am and is filed under ethnic baby names, name ideas . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Oh, I like Scottish names! And with a Scots Mac- surname of my own, I could use them and not sound completely ridiculous.
I am surrounded by them here in the Boston area though , so I’ve been searching for “fresh” sounding ones. Angus, Elspeth, Alasdair & Lilias are in play somewhere on my lists and I thoroughly like Graeme, Magnus, Isobel/Ishbel, Hamish & Ivor. Ailsa’s charmed me since finding her as a charchter in a book as a kid (something to do with a castle in Italy and the “broom” flowers around it. I forget most of it, but remember Ailsa. Finella’s pretty but in my neighborhood would end up yet another Ella. I also find the alternate spelling Fenella completely charming. *sigh* on that Ella thing.