Author Topic: Scottish Naming Tradition  (Read 12910 times)

Offline jinks

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Scottish Naming Tradition
« on: Saturday 19 March 05 13:04 GMT (UK) »
I have noticed that some of my Scottish friends
and family have surnames as middle names,
usually two.

I presume this is a tradtion?

How does it work will one be the father's mother
maiden name?
Ashton Lancashire
Eccles Lancashire
Fletcher Lancashire
Harwood Church/Darwen
Jackson Staffordhire/Worcestershire
Jenkinson Cockerham
Marsden Hoghton Lancashire
Mercer Lancashire/Yorkshire
Pye Wyresdale
Singleton Lancashire
Swarbrick  Longridge
Watt Scotland/Lancashire

Offline bonjedward

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Re: Scottish Naming Tradition
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 19 March 05 17:17 GMT (UK) »
In my family, from Renfrew, middle names are all surnames; usually the children get different middle names. E.g. I have my mother's maiden name as a middle name, my sister has my father's mother's maiden name. My mother has her father's mother's maiden name while her sister has her mother's mother's maiden name. I suppose the idea is to preserve as many surnames as possible for a further generation.

Going back another generation, I have examples of children getting their father's stepfather's surname, or even the father's brother-in-law's name (father's sister's husband).

But it varies from family to family, some prefer first names as middle names, some always give the mother's maiden name to all the children - we have with our children, and my sister has also. I haven't come across many examples of multiple surnames as middle names. Maybe that's a bit aristocratic.
Researching: Towers family of Paisley; Argyll: Carmichael, McQueen; W. Lothian: Aitken, Smeal, Cunningham, Brash, Easton; Stirlingshire: Bruce, Henderson, Galloway;  Midlothian: Gillis, Philp, Turner; Ayrshire: Robertson, McMurren (also County Down), Bone, Eaglesham, Scoffield, Frew, McLatchie;  Moray: Rennie, Stronach;   Donegal, Derry: Douglas, Wray, Steen;  Bermuda: Outerbridge, Seon

Offline Forfarian

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Re: Scottish Naming Tradition
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 14 February 06 21:55 GMT (UK) »
The naming tradition went as follows

First son after his paternal grandfather
Second son after his maternal grandfather
Third son after his father
Subsequent sons after other relatives, friends, neighbours, minister, doctor, schoolmaster, landowner etc

First daughter after her maternal grandmother
Second daughter after her paternal grandmother
Third daughter after her mother
Subsequent daughters after other relatives, friends, neighbours, wives of minister, doctor, schoolmaster, landowner etc

Middle names were more the exception that the rule until about the middle of the 19th century, but when bestowed they often adhered to the above tradition. Also quite a few people acquired in later life middle names which didn't feature on their baptism record or birth certificate!
Never trust anything you find online (especially submitted trees and transcriptions on Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and other commercial web sites) unless it's an image of an original document - and even then be wary because errors can and do occur.

Offline Delphinum

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Re: Scottish Naming Tradition
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 16 February 06 15:13 GMT (UK) »
Ours is the surname as middle name.
The sons usually get the mother's maiden name as a middle name... i.e my granddad's middle name was 'Mulvie' after his mother's maiden name.
Unfotunately we cannot carry on the tradition as having a child with the middle and surname 'White Pyke' will be just cruel!  LOL  ;D
HTH
Whites in Dunbar, Ayton & Galashiels, Scotland.  Taylors of Galashiels & Lincolnshire.  Solans and Morans in Ireland.  Mulvies in Clovenfords, Scotland.  Reynolds of Dunbar.  Dodds of Ayton.