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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for our opinion of the name "Brigid of Linnhe" as a period Scottish name. Here's what we've found.
Before you read this letter, it would be helpful for you to read the article "Scottish Namies 101", available on the web at <URL:http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/scot_names_101.html>.
"Loch Linnhe" is the modern name of a small lake in Argyle. We cannot find a period form of this name. It is certainly possible that a nearby village bore the same name in period, but we cannot prove that it was so.
The modern surname "Lynn" derives from several sources, all of them ultimately taken from place names in different parts of Scotland.
In Ayrshire: Lyne (1263), Lynne (1296), Linn (1452), Leyn (1495),
Lyn (1628)
In Perth: Lenna (t. Alexander II, 1267, 1291), Lene (1245), Len (1246),
Lenn (1258), Lena (1260), Lyn (1246, 1343, 1428, 1438, 1468),
Lyne (1421), Lin (1468)
In Peebleshire: Lyne (c.1200), Line (1208)
Place names were quite commonly used as surnames in Scots. Before 1400, the normal usage was "de" followed by the place name (e.g. Adam de Lyn, 1343). The Scots "of" began to be used around 1400 (e.g. Jhone of Leyn, 1495), but it didn't completely supplant the earlier style. Later in our period, the place name alone was used as surname (e.g. Patrick Lin, 1468) [1]. Note that place names were very rarely used as surnames in Gaelic.
"Brigid" is an Irish name. It has not been found in use in period Scotland. In fact, it was not used in Ireland in period either: Its popularity dates only from the 17th century. The earliest normal use of the name mentioned in our references occurred in 1480, when it was given to a daughter of Edward IV of England [3]. We have also found an instance of "Brid" in Wales in 1256 [4], but it is not clear that this citation represents the same name.
In Ireland, the standard method for honoring a saint in a child's name was to prefix the saint-name with "Máel" (devotee) or "Gilla" (servant). Both "Máel Brigte" and "Gilla Brigde" were common given names in medieval Ireland [2].
Unfortunately, therefore, the answer to your question is that "Brigid of Linnhe" is not a plausible name for any time in our period. We would be happy to help you investigate alternatives, if you are interested. If so, send us another letter. Let us know whether you are interested in an Irish name, a Scots name, or a Scottish Gaelic name, and what historical period you'd like the name to fit. If you'd like to look at lists of period Scottish feminine names, you can find two on the web at <URL:http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/scottishfem/> and <URL:http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/acr_1501_womens_names.html>.
I hope this letter has been helpful. Tangwystyl ferch Morgant Glasfryn contributed to this letter.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
References
[1] Black
[2] O'Corrain and Maguire
[3] Withycombe
[4] A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names,
(Heather Rose Jones, 1996,
<URL:http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/welsh13.html>)