Clan Names and their origins
Wikipedia provides a basic list of the Scottish clans and the map linked from the thumb-nail at the left will enable a general idea of where a particular name originated.
Many people with family heritage in Scotland bear the name of a clan, but there are many more whose family name is strongly associated with a clan even though it does not appear to be similar. The website Scots Clans allows you to enter any family name and see its connections. For example, some Morris families are linked to the Clan Buchanan from Loch Lomond. (Of course, others with the same name almost certainly come from German immigrants!)
Del recommended the book Scottish Surnames by David Dorward (You can find details on Moreton Bay Region Library catalogue, Amazon or Booktopia)
Traditional patterns for given names
For generations, many Scots families followed a common pattern for naming children that linked the new generation to those that had come before.
Wikipedia provides a basic list of the Scottish clans and the map linked from the thumb-nail at the left will enable a general idea of where a particular name originated.
Many people with family heritage in Scotland bear the name of a clan, but there are many more whose family name is strongly associated with a clan even though it does not appear to be similar. The website Scots Clans allows you to enter any family name and see its connections. For example, some Morris families are linked to the Clan Buchanan from Loch Lomond. (Of course, others with the same name almost certainly come from German immigrants!)
Del recommended the book Scottish Surnames by David Dorward (You can find details on Moreton Bay Region Library catalogue, Amazon or Booktopia)
Traditional patterns for given names
For generations, many Scots families followed a common pattern for naming children that linked the new generation to those that had come before.
1st son after father's father
2nd son after mother's father 3rd son after father 4th son after the father’s eldest brother 5th son after the mother’s eldest brother 1st daughter after mother's mother 2nd daughter after father's mother 3rd daughter after mother 4th daughter after the mother’s eldest sister 5th daughter after the father’s eldest sister |
This can be very useful in inferring the names of people for whom you have no records from information you know about others. It can also introduce some interesting complexity -- the third son of a third son cannot have his father's name because it (also his grandfather's name) has been given to his eldest brother! When two or more brothers begin naming their sons after their own father, then it is inevitable that there will be cousins of approximately the same age with duplicate names.