"WHAT'S IN A NAME?"

Milne's High School's class survey

Surnames || Christian Names || Place Names

SURNAMES

We have chosen some of the Scottish surnames from classes 1F1 and 1F2. We have searched through books to find out where these names come from and what they mean.

We use surnames because long ago the clans/tribes might have got mixed up. The surnames also have to do with trade and profession or places where the family lives (eg. the Smith surname would come from a blacksmith, goldsmith, silversmith etc.). Also names like Edinburgh and Glasgow would stand for the original place that the family was from.

Names can also originate from a family's physical appearance. From the name Longshanks comes the Scottish for 'long legs'. There is as well the name Campbell which comes from two Gaelic words, 'cam' meaning crooked and 'beul' meaning mouth. Put them together to get 'Cambeul' which has changed over the years and has eventually become Campbell. Quite a lot of names change to make different, new, names.

People can change their surname but this isn't done often as most people tend to stick with it unless it is very strange. Usually it is woman who change their surnames when they get married, they take their husband's names. Sometimes though, husbands and wives put their surnames together as in Schweitzer-Thompson or McCallum-Smith.

Allen - Celtic name "ailin", [ail] meaning rock in old Gaelic

Smith - blacksmith or someone who works with their hands

Gillespie - a bishop's servant in old times

Thompson - son of Tom, ancient version of McTavish

McCallum - son of Cailean, from Iona [island]

Stewart - second most common name after Smith, a steward who used to look after something

Reid - red hair, Ruda - Gaelic

Munro - Jacobite helper

Grey - nickname meaning colour of hair or clothing

McIntosh - tribal leader

Wilson - Christian name William

Brown - nickname meaning colour of hair or clothing

Nowadays not everyone in this country is christened because we have more than one religion. Now we call our "Christian names" first names to avoid offending people.

First and middle names are important to many families. It allows people to continue with family taditions and yet choose another name as well. Sometimes a name may be handed down fom generation to generation. This family name may be used as a first name or a middle name especially if it helps avoid confusion if more than one person in the family has the same name. Another reason is that if parents don't like the traditional name they may not use it as a first name but as the middle name still keeping up the family tradition. Often these family names are handed down from grandparents or other members of their family.

Parents have many reasons for choosing their children's names:

1. after someone in the family
2. somebody who is or was famous
3. because they like it
4. because it goes with their surname
5. because of the meaning

   Claire - bright and shining - Latin

   Irvin - sea-friend - Gaelic

   Christopher - Christ bearer - Greek

   Craig - dweller by the crag - Gaelic

   Sarah - Princess - Hebrew

   Gay - beautiful and good

   Emma - whole and universal - Old German

   Glen - of the narrow valley or glen - Celtic

   Michael - he who is like the Lord - Hebrew

   Oliver - olive tree - Old French and Norman

   Hero - hero - Greek

   
   

   
   PLACE NAMES

   We have also tried to find out about place names.Some of our place names are after buildings, people or some physical feature. Fochabers was a planned village in eighteenth century and this explains a lot of the street names. West Sreet, East Street, South Street show that the village was originally planned in a square shape. Castle Street and Duke Street refer to Gordon Castle and the Duke of Gordon. A more recent name is Woodside Road where newer houses have been built near a wood.

   In other local villages there are more interesting names. Garmouth has Cadgers Road, a cadger was a small independant fish merchant or a person who helped unload the boats and carry goods to the local village. Lein Road refers to the common land near the beaches and coast.

   Across Scotland there are many examples:

   Peep o' Day Lane in Dundee where the sun would shine first

   Inver meaning mouth of a river - Inverness, Inverurie

   Aber also mouth of a river - Aberdeen, Aberchirder

   Baile meaning a farm or homestead - Ballater

   Bourne or Burn meaning stream - Blackburn

   Port meaning harbour - Portgordon

   Port on a hill - Portknockie

   Perth means a harbour - Perth

   Burgh and Dun means a fortified place - Edinburgh, Dunedin

   Hope you find this interesting. 1F1