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Geni naming conventions - Scotland

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Geni naming conventions - Scotland


See the projects Geni naming conventions and Geni naming conventions - data entry for general guidance.

  • Use ordinary case. Name Preference Settings can be used to change how names are displayed to your personal preference.
  • Name as close to original name as possible, language, geography and time period to be taken into consideration
  • Gaelic names for Scottish/Gaelic speaking people as far as possible.
  • Patronymics in the Middle Name field
  • Adjust First Name field to avoid misunderstandings or mistaken identity where necessary, by adding order/number or byname.
  • Maiden names are normally avoided as there were none at the time
  • All names a person is known by in any source listed in Nicknames: bynames (especially in English), additional titles, variations.
  • Document name sources.

Specific notes

1. Scottish women did not generally use married names before about 1600 (when they began copying the English about the time the Stewarts succeeded in the Tudors in England). The custom of using married names began with the nobility and spread downwards. In some rural parts of Scotland, married names did not come into use until the 19th century.

2. In Scotland, territorial designations are part of the surname, & do not go into the Suffix field. The surname, including the territorial designation, is properly used by the head of the family, his wife, oldest son, and all daughters. Younger sons use the surname alone, unless they acquire their own property. Look at primary sources to determine whether someone used a territorial designation; & remember that a place name is only a territorial designation when a person is "of" a place. If they are "in" or "at" then it's a mere description of residence. See “Territorial Designations, the correct form.” (dead link)

"of that Ilk" (Ilk is always capitalized) is a territorial designation that means "of the same name or place". So, the surname and territorial designation are the same. This is common when the surname is taken from a place name eg the surname Moncreiffe of Moncreiffe could be Moncreiffe of that Ilk.

It is also used by chiefs of the name who don't have a landed estate. For example, Mackintosh of Mackintosh could be Mackintosh of that Ilk.

You have to know which form the person prefers, duplication or "of that Ilk". In general, Lowland families prefer of that Ilk and Highland families prefer duplication. It’s a good idea to look up the current chief in Wikipedia then use his preferred form for his ancestors.

3. A Scottish Lord (of Parliament) is the equivalent of an English Baron. A Scottish (feudal) Baron is the approximate equivalent of an English Lord of the Manor. In other words, the titles are (loosely) reversed. See Barons in Scotland usage.

A Scottish laird is just a landowner. Laird is not a title of nobility. However, a laird might be a feudal baron -- that is, a land owner with the right to hold a baronial court (just as an English lord of the manor anciently had the right to hold a manorial court).

A usage such as "John Grant, 2nd of Freuchie" is a conversational shorthand, not his real name. His name recorded in the Naming field would be "John Grant of Freuchie", and he would be "2nd Laird of Freuchie" in the Suffix field.

Scottish surnames
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_surnames

The earliest surnames found in Scotland occur during the reign of David I, King of Scots (1124–53). These were Anglo-Norman names which had become hereditary in England before arriving in Scotland (for example, the contemporary surnames de Brus, de Umfraville, and Ridel). During the reigns of kings David I, Malcolm IV and William the Lion, some inhabitants of Scottish towns were English and Flemish settlers, who bore English and continental personal names, with trade names and sometimes nicknames.[1] One of the earliest sources for surnames in Scotland is the Ragman Roll. This document records the deeds of homage pledged by Scots nobles to Edward I, King of England in 1296. The surnames recorded within are for the most part very similar to those found in England at around the same date, consisting of local, patronymic and occupational names, and nicknames. Some of the local surnames with the roll are derived from places within Scotland; there are very few Gaelic surnames recorded in the roll.[2]

Patronymics

Many Scottish surnames originate from names that were originally patronyms. Patronyms are derived from the forename of the bearer's father (for example, the full name of a man named John Donaldson indicates that the father's name was Donald). Patronyms change with every successive generation[3] (for example, the patronyms of a grandson, father, and grandfather may be John Donaldson, son of Donald Robertson, son of Robert Williamson).

The use of patronyms died out in the Lowlands after the 15th century, as they became solidified as surnames.[6] It was not until the 18th century that they were given up in the Gaelic-speaking Highlands. As late as the first part of the 18th century, some men were distinguished not only by their father's name, but their grandfather's and great-grandfather's (for example, John Roy M'Ean Vc Ewin Vc Dougall Vc Ean, a man from Lismore recorded in 1585).[7][note 3] Patronyms were still common in Shetland in the first half of the 19th century. One of the most common surnames in Scotland is Simpson, which means the son of "Simon", in Gaelic the equivalent names are McSymon, and MacSymon.

Territorial names, topographical names

Many of the first surnames recorded in Scotland were those of nobles, or great landowners, whose surnames derived from the lands they possessed.[8] These names are sometimes called territorial names,[8] or habitation names.[9] Many of these surnames were brought to Scotland by Anglo-Normans, whose surnames were derived from either lands in Normandy or in England (for example, Bruce is derived from Brix in Manche, France,[10] Crawford is derived from Crawford, South Lanarkshire, in the south of Scotland, Barton is derived from Dumbarton, or the several villages and towns in England, and Graham is derived from Grantham, in Lincolnshire, England).[11] Not all territorial surnames are derived from lands owned by their bearers.[8] In some cases such names were borne by tenants, or followers, of the owners of the lands they lived on. In this way the bearers of these surnames may not have had any kinship with the landowners (the surname Gordon is an historical example of such a name).[8]

Bynames

Bynames, to-names, or other names,[note 5] were once very common in Scotland.[17] These names were used in areas where there were few names in circulation, and the bynames were added onto the name of person, in order to distinguish them from others who bore the same name. Bynames were particularly prevalent in fishing communities in the northeastern part of Scotland,[17] but were also used in the Borders and the West Highlands.[6] In some cases within fishing communities, the names of fishing boats were tacked onto the names of people in order to differentiate them from others.[13]

Scottish clans

Many Scottish surnames are the names of Scottish clans that were once powerful families dominating large swaths of territory.[18] However, it is a common misconception that every person who bears a clan's name is a lineal descendant of the chiefs of that particular clan.[6][note 6] There are several reasons for this. In many cases, the families that originally lived on the lands acquired by powerful clans (such as the Campbells, Gordons, Macdonalds, and Mackenzies) adopted the names of their new lords.[18][note 7] The leadership of large clans increased their power by increasing the number of their followers by both conciliation and coercion.[2] The memory of such renaming is sometimes preserved in tradition. One old Gaelic saying reads: Frisealach am boll a mine ("the Frasers of the boll of meal"), which explains that some of name Fraser are actually Bissets, who originally controlled the lands taken by the Frasers.[note 8]


Nobiliary particle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobiliary_particle

In Scotland, there is strictly no nobiliary particle, but the use of the word of as a territorial designation has a long history. In this usage, "of" and a place name follow on from a family surname, as in the name "Aeneas MacDonell of Glengarry". If the place name is identical to the surname, it is sometimes rendered as "that Ilk", e.g. "Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk". Recognition of a territorial designation is granted in Scotland by the Lord Lyon to Scottish armigers (those entitled to bear a coat of arms) who own or were born in or are associated with named land, generally in a rural area not forming part of a town. The Lord Lyon advises that for a territorial designation to be recognised there must be "ownership of a substantial area of land to which a well-attested name attaches, that is to say, ownership of an 'estate', or farm or, at the very least, a house with policies extending to five acres or thereby".[15] The territorial designation in this case is considered to be an indivisible part of the name, not in itself necessarily indicating historical feudal nobility, but recognition in a territorial designation is usually accorded alongside the grant or matriculation of a Scottish coat of arms, which effectively confers or recognises minor nobility status, even if not ancient. Despite this, the right to bear a territorial designation can also exist for landowners who are not armigerous, but this right is not made good until receiving official recognition; Learney comments: "mere assumption is not sufficient to warrant these territorial and chiefly names".[16]

A person bearing a Scottish territorial designation is either a Feudal Baron, Chief or Chieftain or a Laird, the latter denoting "landowner", or is a descendant of one of the same.[17][18] The Lord Lyon is the ultimate arbiter as to determining entitlement to a territorial designation, and his right of discretion in recognising these, and their status as a name, dignity or title, have been confirmed in the Scottish courts.[19] In speech or correspondence, a Laird is correctly addressed by the name of his estate (particularly in lowland Scotland) or his surname with designation, e.g. William Maitland of Lethington would be addressed as "Lethington" or "Maitland of Lethington".[17]

References
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