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Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for advice on a mid-16th century Scottish name appropriate to the Grampian region, using <Marsle> as your name, <Donald> as your father's name, and <Ian> as your grandfather's. Here is what we have found.
The people of the Grampians spoke Gaelic in your period, so a Gaelic name would be appropriate. At this time, Scotland was divided between two cultures and languages: Gaelic-speaking in the Highlands and Scots-speaking in the Lowlands. Scots is a language closely related to contemporary English. Most records in your period were written in Scots, so although you would have used a Gaelic name, it would have been recorded in Scots if it were ever written down. We will discuss appropriate forms of your name in both languages.
<Marsle> is a Scots spelling of the Gaelic name <Marsaili>, pronounced \MAR-se-lee\. This name is a borrowing of the Latin name <Marcella> [1, 2]. <Donald> is a Scots spelling of the Gaelic <Domhnall> \DOHN-all\, but <Ian> is a modern, English spelling of the period Gaelic <Eoin>, pronounced \OAN\ or \YOAN\, rhyming with <moan>. That name was usually rendered in Scots as <Johnne> or <Jhone> [3, 4].
Putting all this together, your Gaelic name would be <Marsaili inghean Domhaill mhic Eoin>. The name is pronounced \MAR-se-lee NEE-yen DOHN-all vic ANE\ and means "Marsaili, daughter of Domhnall, son of Eoin". The changes in spelling and pronunciation of <Domhnall> and <Eoin> are grammatical requirements in Gaelic. This is a fine name for your persona.
Based on contemporary examples of masculine and feminine Gaelic names rendered in Scots, we think your name could have been written as <Marsle neyn Conyll VcKean> or <Marsle Neindonyll Vckean> [3, s.nn. Africa, Nin, MacKean]. There are many other possibilities, but we think these two are correct for your period.
I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Charles O'Connor, Effrick neyn Kennyeoch, Talan Gwynek, and Margaret Makafee.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
References
[1] Talan Gwynek, "A List of Feminine Personal Names found in Scottish
Records" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996).
[2] Morgan, Peadar, _Ainmean Chloinne: Scottish Gaelic Names for Children_
(Scotland: Taigh na Teud Music Publishers, 1989).
[3] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and
History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986).
[4] --, The manuscript Aberdeen Council Registers, Volumes 8 - 20
(1501-1551), in the Aberdeen City Archives.
Correction, 18 Oct 2001, Arval: After a word ending in n, like inghean, the letter D does not lenite.