Scottish Gaelic name
ScottishScottish Gaelic personal naming systemGaelic namepatronymicScottish Gaelic surnamesScottish namesScottish originScottish surname
A formal Gaelic language name consists of a given name and a surname.wikipedia
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Patronymic
patronymibnbin
The majority of Gaelic surnames in the Highlands and western parts are patronymic in nature and of Goidelic extraction, although epithets, geography or occupation and borrowings also occur in some surnames.
Colloquial Scottish Gaelic also has other patronymics of a slightly different form for individuals, still in use (for more information please see: Scottish Gaelic personal naming system).
Celtic onomastics
Gaelic surnameCelticCeltic name
Icelandic name
Icelandic naming conventionsIcelandic customIcelandic

Irish name
Irish surnameIrishIrish surnames
Welsh surnames
WelshWelsh surnameWelsh name
Scottish Gaelic
GaelicScots GaelicGaelic language
A formal Gaelic language name consists of a given name and a surname.









Scottish Gaelic phonology
Scottish Gaelicthe Gaelic sound system
First names are either native or nativized (i.e. borrowed and made to fit the Gaelic sound system).



Patronymic surname
patronymicpatronymic derivationpatronym
Surnames are generally patronymic, i.e. they refer to a historical ancestor.
Lenition
lenitedspirantizationsoft mutation
However, when used in the female form the first letter is lenited (if possible).
Goidelic languages
GaelicGoidelicGaelic languages
Gaelic first names chiefly hail from 5 linguistic layers, Goidelic and 4 others, coinciding with the main languages of contact: Latin, Norse, Anglo-Norman and Scots.

Latin
Latin languageLat.la
Gaelic first names chiefly hail from 5 linguistic layers, Goidelic and 4 others, coinciding with the main languages of contact: Latin, Norse, Anglo-Norman and Scots.









Old Norse
NorseOld IcelandicOld West Norse
Gaelic first names chiefly hail from 5 linguistic layers, Goidelic and 4 others, coinciding with the main languages of contact: Latin, Norse, Anglo-Norman and Scots.

Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-NormanAnglo-FrenchAnglo-Norman French
Gaelic first names chiefly hail from 5 linguistic layers, Goidelic and 4 others, coinciding with the main languages of contact: Latin, Norse, Anglo-Norman and Scots.
Scots language
ScotsLowland ScotsScottish
Gaelic first names chiefly hail from 5 linguistic layers, Goidelic and 4 others, coinciding with the main languages of contact: Latin, Norse, Anglo-Norman and Scots. A fair number of Gaelic names were borrowed into English or Scots at different periods (e.g. Kenneth, Duncan, Donald, Malcolm, Calum, Lachlan, Alasdair, Iain, Eilidh), although it can sometimes be difficult to tell if the donor language was Irish or Scottish Gaelic (e.g. Deirdre, Rory, Kennedy, Bridget/Bride, Aiden).




Old Irish
Old GaelicOldearly Irish
The first two categories were no longer productive for the most part towards the end of the Old Irish period but the last type persisted, reinforced by the coinage of ecclesiastical names following Christianization.
Irish language
IrishGaelicIrish Gaelic
A fair number of Gaelic names were borrowed into English or Scots at different periods (e.g. Kenneth, Duncan, Donald, Malcolm, Calum, Lachlan, Alasdair, Iain, Eilidh), although it can sometimes be difficult to tell if the donor language was Irish or Scottish Gaelic (e.g. Deirdre, Rory, Kennedy, Bridget/Bride, Aiden).






Morphology (linguistics)
morphologymorphologicalmorphologically
On occasion, the same name was borrowed more than once due to misinterpretation of Gaelic morphology.

Vocative case
vocativedirect addressvocatives
For example, the names Hamish and Mhairi are derived from Gaelic Seumas and Màiri but rather than borrowing the root forms, the English/Scots forms are based on the Gaelic vocative case forms Sheumais and Mhàiri.

Cognate
cognatescognationequivalent
Others were with no cognate were often equated with English/Scots names which bore some similarity to the Gaelic name in order to obtain "English equivalents".

Euphemia
Saint EuphemiaSt. EuphemiaEuphemia of Chalcedon
This includes Oighrig which was equated with Euphemia, Dìorbhail with Dorothy, Beathag with Rebecca or Sophie.




Dorothy (given name)
DorothyDorothea
This includes Oighrig which was equated with Euphemia, Dìorbhail with Dorothy, Beathag with Rebecca or Sophie.

Rebecca
RebekahRebeccahRebecka
This includes Oighrig which was equated with Euphemia, Dìorbhail with Dorothy, Beathag with Rebecca or Sophie.





Sophie
Sophy
This includes Oighrig which was equated with Euphemia, Dìorbhail with Dorothy, Beathag with Rebecca or Sophie.
Nominalization
nominalizednominalizernominalisation
Patronymic surnames for men feature either the mac (e.g. MacDhomhnaill) element or the nominalizing suffix (e.g. Domhnallach).