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Greetings from the Academy of St. Gabriel!
You asked about forming a Scottish version of the name "Thearlaich 'the Green' MacLachlan" and whether it should be in Gaelic or English.
Generally, there were two languages spoken in Scotland: Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands, and Scots, spoken in the Lowlands and the towns. [1] Gaelic is the same language spoken in Ireland at this time; Scots is closely related to contemporary English. Names were formed quite differently in the two languages, and the two styles of naming did not mix. Therefore, the culture you choose for your persona will determine how your name should be constructed.
We found the Gaelic form of the given name "Toirdelbhach" (pronounced \TAHR-lakh\, where \kh\ represents the hard, rasping sound found in the Scottish word "loch" or the German "Bach") in Scotland in 1614 [2], which was a common name in late medieval Ireland. [3] It is found as part of several bynames that were formed using the father's name (and meaning "son of Toirdelbhach" or "of the son of Toirdelbhach")[4]:
This would indicate the name minus the various "Mac" forms was being used as a first name. The Scots version is probably "Terlach."
Your byname of "MacLachlan" appears in 1555. Other spellings are "Maclachlane" (1425) and "Makclotan" (1467). [4] These are all Scots spellings. The Gaelic version is "mac Lachlainn."
The nickname "the green" is possible. You can use the Gaelic words "glas" [5] or "uaine," both of which can be translated as "green." [6] However, Gaelic color words do not correspond exactly to English color words, so there are times when each word could correspond to other shades. "Glas" tends to refer to greens at the yellow-green end of the spectrum; "uaine" is associated with greens that are pale. In Scots, these terms would have probably turned into "glas" or "glass" and "wan" or "waine." [4]
Putting it together, if you want a Gaelic name, you need to combine the Gaelic elements; for example, "Toirdelbhach uaine mac Lachlainn" or "Toirdelbhach glas mac Lachlainn." If you want a Scots name, you would combine the Scots elements, as in "Terlach Wan MacLachlane" or "Terlach Glass MacLachlan."
We hope this letter has been helpful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. Arval d'Espas Nord, Talan Gwynek, and Effric niin Kenyeoch vc Harrald contributed the research for this letter.
For the Academy,
AElfwyn aet Gyrwum
[1] This is a generalization with many exceptions. For more detail, please see Effric's Scottish Names 101 (2d ed.) by Sharon L. Krossa at:
[2} Thomson, Derick s., ed., _The Companion to Gaelic Scotland_, 1994 ed. (Glasgow: Gairm Publications 1994).
[3] O/ Corráin, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: TheLilliput Press, 1990).
[4] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986).
[5] MacLysaght, Edward, _The Surnames of Ireland_ (Dublin: Irish Academic Press Ltd., 1985, ISBN 0-7165-2366-3). He mentions a "O'Sullivan agnomen, 'glas.'"
[6] Dwelly, Edward, _The Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary_ (Glasgow: Gairm Publications, 1988).