With millions of people around the world identifying as Scots – either by dint of being born here or by their blood or even just a love for the culture – Scottish names are once again in vogue.
Helped in no small part by the success of hit TV shows such as Outlander and Still Game, global audiences are being introduced to Scottish culture like never before.
But not all Scottish names are straightforward, with many having Gaelic or even Norse origins, they can often be hard to spell or even say.They can reflect places in Scotland or mean something you might not expect, we have created a guide that will hopefully help explain where some of these more unusual (to non-Scots) names came from and how you can pronounce them properly.Struan (Stroo-ahn) – originally derived from the Gaelic word for 'stream', may also be a territorial name from the location of the same name in Perthshire. Lachlan ( Lakh-lun)/Lachie – Pronouncing Lach like loch - as in the Scottish word for lake - this is typically a boy's name which means 'from the lakes'. Alban (Al-a-bun) – though this name can be similar to the French name, this is an older Scottish name taken from Alba, from the Gaelic word for Scotland. Angus (Ang-gus) – from the Gaelic Aonghas meaning 'unique one'. Dair (D-air) – Shortened form of the name Alasdair. Dod/Doddie – A Scots version of the name George. Dougal/Dugald (Doo-gal) – derived from the Gaelic Dubhgall meaning 'dark stranger'. Eck – A shortened form of the name Alexander. Farquhar (Far-quar) – From the Gaelic meaning 'very dear one'. Fergus - A name used by Pictish royalty, it comes from the Gaelic root 'ver gustu', meaning 'man of force'. Shug/Shuggy - Scots version of the name Hugh. Torquill (Tork-ill) - Gaelic form is
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