# Scottish names



## Lyra Laurant (Feb 28, 2016)

Hello!


I have a fantasy story settled in Scotland in the 18th century (I based it on the Outer Islands, but I never actually mentioned that in the story, so it doesn't have to be a specific island, as the story is fantasy and not historical in the first place). I'd like to know if the names I chose for my characters are adequated for that place and period, or if you have any suggestions, as most of them were taken from dictionaries and novels.
Do we have Scottish writers here in the forums who could help me? 


Surnames:
McAulay
McNeil
Beaton


First names:
Aileen
John
George
Kyna
Awena
Mary
James
Joe
Frederic
Rozen
Violet


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## aj47 (Feb 28, 2016)

I am no expert.  That said, "Mc" is more Irish and "Mac" more Scottish, I believe.  In an attempt not to derail your thread, I'm PMing you something.


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## Lyra Laurant (Feb 28, 2016)

astroannie said:


> I am no expert.  That said, "Mc" is more Irish and "Mac" more Scottish, I believe.  In an attempt not to derail your thread, I'm PMing you something.



Thank you for your response (and for the poem :friendly_wink: ). Hm... I've read works from a McNeil author who wrote about Scottish folktales and whose family was from Barra (Outer Hebrides). But I'll go check the "Mc" vs "Mac"!


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## Blue (Feb 28, 2016)

Lyra Laurant said:


> Thank you for your response (and for the poem :friendly_wink: ). Hm... I've read works from a McNeil author who wrote about Scottish folktales and whose family was from Barra (Outer Islands). But I'll go check the "Mc" vs "Mac"!



As an Irishwoman, I can assure you that BOTH 'Mc' and 'Mac' appear in BOTH Scotland and Ireland, and they mean the exact same thing. The word 'Mac' means 'son' in Gaelic, so, for example, McNeil simply translates to son of Neil, and MacDonagh means son of Donagh. The native Irish and Scottish Gaelic is so similar they are almost the same language, and the Irish and Scotts share the same ancestry. So, really, it doesn't mater at all. And many surnames have been influenced by the Vikings, Normans etc. Hope this helps:topsy_turvy:


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## Lyra Laurant (Feb 28, 2016)

Blue said:


> As an Irishwoman, I can assure you that BOTH 'Mc' and 'Mac' appear in BOTH Scotland and Ireland, and they mean the exact same thing. The word 'Mac' means 'son' in Gaelic, so, for example, McNeil simply translates to son of Neil, and MacDonagh means son of Donagh. The native Irish and Scottish Gaelic is so similar they are almost the same language, and the Irish and Scotts share the same ancestry. So, really, it doesn't mater at all. And many surnames have been influenced by the Vikings, Normans etc. Hope this helps:topsy_turvy:



That surely helps a lot, thank you! :biggrin:
Any thoughts about the first names? I'm unsure because I've already read novels settled in 19th century Brazil that had a weird group of names for the context, and I know it would be difficult for the author to have the same perspective of a Brazilian.


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## Bloggsworth (Feb 29, 2016)

Crauford
Caimbeulach
Deòireach
Gillies
MacLeish
Mac an Duibh or Macindoe
Mac O' Seannaig or Shannon

If you are writing about island life you will be talking about the west of Scotland, there being no populous islands to the east. If historical you may wish to use the Gaelic surnames.

Agnes
Aileen
Aidan
Ailsa
Alasdair
Angus (of course)
Calum
Ciara 
Donald
Dugald
Elspeth
Erin (meaning western isle)
Fraser
Gordon

There is also the predelicion of the Scots to use forenames and surnames interchangeably - Crauford Farquar, Grant Grant, Macdonald Macleish.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 29, 2016)

George, as the name of English Kings of the period, seems unlikely, Similarly John or Jack in England was everyman, the common name.


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## Lyra Laurant (Feb 29, 2016)

Bloggsworth said:


> Crauford
> Caimbeulach
> Deòireach
> Gillies
> ...



Thank you so much for your time for writing this list! :biggrin:



Olly Buckle said:


> George, as the name of English Kings of the period, seems unlikely, Similarly John or Jack in England was everyman, the common name.



Oh, good to know! But does it mean I should leave English names out of Scotland for that period?


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## Bloggsworth (Feb 29, 2016)

Most of the English names of the period derived from the continent of Europe, English being the most mongrel of languages and ditto the kings and queens of England and Scotland, Greater Britain having at various times up till 1066 being invaded by Norse, Danes, Engles, Romans and French (Guillaume the Bastard being the last successful foreign invader).


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 29, 2016)

> Oh, good to know! But does it mean I should leave English names out of Scotland for that period?


I don't know, my guess would be that ordinary people would have Scottish names and the aristocracy tend more toward the Anglicised. Attitudes of Scots towards the English varied (and vary still), generally the further North the more hostile. The Young Pretender, Charles Stuart is seventeen hundreds, as is Wades road and the Highland clearances.


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## Lyra Laurant (Feb 29, 2016)

Olly Buckle said:


> I don't know, my guess would be that ordinary people would have Scottish names and the aristocracy tend more toward the Anglicised. Attitudes of Scots towards the English varied (and vary still), generally the further North the more hostile. The Young Pretender, Charles Stuart is seventeen hundreds, as is Wades road and the Highland clearances.



Hm... That's something to think about. I was assuming a good level of friendly contact with England, as I read some landlords of that time used to send their tenants' sons to England for studying new farming techniques. Also, pigs raised in the Hebrides were not usually consumed there, but exported to England, so there was some trade. But I don't really know if that contact was enough for influencing the names, so maybe it is safer if my cast have more Scottish names.
Thanks for your reply!


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