If you are considering naming your baby girls with a traditional Scottish name, you will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of different names available to choose from and some you may never have even heard of. The origins of Scottish names for girls are too varied to even list but you’ll find some very interesting names, all of which will have something that works just right for you and your family when considering traditional Scottish names for girls.
The origins of all names date back centuries and in Scotland and Ireland names were given to men and women based on a number of factors. Often these were just nicknames which developed into real names or were based on factors such as what you looked like at the time. Scottish names for girls may have been influenced by the name of the clan you belonged to or the place where you lived near to. Many Scottish names were based or associated with being an Irish moniker. Centuries ago there was a strong link between the Catholic Church in Ireland and the same faith in Scotland.
It meant that Scottish names for girls would often be found to be Bernadette or Eileen. In England the name Elizabeth was very popular as it often had links with monarchs and royalty, but the Scots would prefer Elspeth or variants such as Elspet or Elspie. But there has been a surge in naming girls something a little more attractive in the last few decades, rather than the standard girls’ names that were given up until the 1970s.
Names like Enya, a Scottish name for a girl that means “jewel” or Euphemia, are becoming very popular in recent years and another Scottish name for a girl that has some roots in the Greek language, meaning to be well spoken and loquacious. Also popular for a girls’ name in Scotland are the three-lettered names like Una or Ina. These shortened names appear to represent the last three letters of more popular names like Christina or Georgina.
Some of the Scottish names for girls spelled in the Gaelic language will undoubtedly become very difficult to spell for others, such as Cairistìona, for Christine, Fionnaghal for Fiona and Leagsaidh for Lexy, but without doubt the names and the pronunciation are wonderful on the ear and are sure to have your friends and family expressing what a wonderful name you have chosen for your baby girl.
Resources
- Our comprehensive list of Scottish girls names.
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