ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 908 http://www.s-gabriel.org/908 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* 18 Apr 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for help choosing a Scottish Gaelic name using . Here is what we have found. We did not find evidence that was used as a given name in Scotland. We did find one very early citation in Ireland that may indicate that it was a given name; it was more often used as a byname (descriptive surname). is an adjective sometimes translated as "Scottish" or "the Scotsman", but more accurately meaning "from the area known as Alba". Before 1300, meant the area of modern-day Scotland between the rivers Forth and Spey, and the Drumalban mountains; later in period, was used to describe all of the kingdom of Scotland. We have found two examples of used as a personal byname, probably describing a person who previously lived in Alba but has since moved someplace else. The examples are: Gillemure Albanach, 1153-65 [1] dubghall albanach mac mic cathail, 1467 [2] The first example is a Gaelic name recorded in Latin. The second is the name of a Scottish Gael who was living in Ireland. If you choose a Gaelic given name like , then would be a fine name (and it would be perfectly authentic for you to be called in everyday usage). If you would like a list of possible Gaelic given names, please give us some guidance on what you'd like (e.g. the initial letter) and we'll be happy to help. The early Irish example is a man surnamed [4]. This means mean "son of Albanach", but it isn't clear whether was a given name or a byname. Both are possible. If you particularly like the sound of as a given name, you may be interested in the given name [3], pronounced \AHL-bahn\. (The slash represents an accent on the .) If you like this name, you can construct a complete Gaelic name by adding a patronymic byname (i.e. a surname that identifies your father). For example, if your father were named , then you could be called . The extra in is analogous to the <'s> in the English . If you'd like some other name you could use for your father's name, let us know what sounds you like, and we'll suggest some possibilities. 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 Alan Fairfax, Talan Gwynek, Effric nin Kenneoch, Daniel of Tweed, and Antonio Miguel Santos de Borja. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 18 April 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986), s.n. Gilmore. [2] O/ Baoill, Colm, "Scotticisms in a Manuscript of 1467," _Scottish Gaelic Studies_ XV, no. Spring 1988 (1988): 122-139. [3] Woulfe, Patrick, _Irish Names for Children_ (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1974). [4] O/ Riain, Pa/draig, ed., Corpus Genealogiarum Sanctorum Hiberniae (Dublin: The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1985). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -