top Scottish boy's names

[neloon]

Two of my names are very Scottish. ALLAN/ALAN/ALLEN and my middle name COLLIN (Scottish) and Colin (Irish) are very Gaelic, yet missing???? Yet Collin/Colin has become a fairly popular in US and
Canada now. Very disappointing....Please understand my post is not meant to be egotistical, but generations of MacDonald, Clanranald, Sleet, Skye etc. has many Collin/Colin, Allan's, Agnus, Alexander, and especially Archibald, and Donald. Wonder why they are missing? Now those are real SCOTTISH names...

Surprised Jamie and Claire (Outlander) has not gained in popularity. I understand, just recently the Outlander Series has finally been release in Scotland on public TV, only available on pay TV, and not publicized, you might see a gain in popularity with those names this year.

May I just make a few spelling and other comments?
Allan in the Scottish surname spelling and Allen is the English surname spelling. The first name spelling is Alan.
Colin is always spelled with one "l" throughout the British Isles.
The district of Skye is Sleat (from the old Norse for smooth).
Of course, especially in days gone by, spelling was more idiosyncratic.
Nobody in Scotland watches the Outlander nonsense so I doubt if that will make a difference. Jamie is regarded as a posh affectation such as might be used by English gentry to imply a Scottish connection. Likewise Jock for John and Sandy for Alexander. You must remember that the names that you think of as SCOTTISH because of your ancestry came from a very small corner of Scotland and the passage of 200 years and fairly considerable in-migration has diluted the use of those first names.
I doubt if many Scots seek out specifically "Scottish" names for their children but simply follow the fashion of parents around them.
Even the use of names "handed down" in a family has disappeared.

Alan

[CollinMacD]

May I just make a few spelling and other comments?
Allan in the Scottish surname spelling and Allen is the English surname spelling. The first name spelling is Alan.
Colin is always spelled with one "l" throughout the British Isles.
The district of Skye is Sleat (from the old Norse for smooth).
Of course, especially in days gone by, spelling was more idiosyncratic.
Nobody in Scotland watches the Outlander nonsense so I doubt if that will make a difference. Jamie is regarded as a posh affectation such as might be used by English gentry to imply a Scottish connection. Likewise Jock for John and Sandy for Alexander. You must remember that the names that you think of as SCOTTISH because of your ancestry came from a very small corner of Scotland and the passage of 200 years and fairly considerable in-migration has diluted the use of those first names.
I doubt if many Scots seek out specifically "Scottish" names for their children but simply follow the fashion of parents around them.
Even the use of names "handed down" in a family has disappeared.

Alan

I thank you for your comments, but have to respectfully disagree with you, after all this is my own family. COLLIN has been in my family (paternal and maternal (Chisholm) since 1640 and maybe further back than that, and my family is pure Scottish from Knoidart (Knoydart). Names have been handed down over and over and I am the last. I chose to break the chain. Only on my Maternal Chisholm side have I come across three Colins, others were Collin.

My source for the name origin comes from St. Culen (d. 971?) king of Scotland, also known as Colin and Collin, both spelling have been accepted with Catholic Baptismal Registries. If you know the old Catholic Church, to Baptize a baby into the church, the forename must be from a Saint, you cannot use a name that is not a canonized Saint, and according to the Church both spelling are from a Scottish origin of a canonized saint.

This is my name, Father's name, Grandfather's name and so on all spelled with COLLIN, not a single Colin in the MacDonald line. I have to say, the name Allen/Allan/Alan has been spelled every way I noted in my family, however, since 1802, the name ALLAN has been used more often than Allen, and only three accounts of Alan since 1640. Tradition of name carried through the family upon arriving in Nova Scotia in 1690. My eighth direct grandfather was John Alexander MacDonald, Jacobite Officer, had several children, I am descendent of Samuel, had three sons, Angus, Allan, and Donald, I am direct descendent of Angus, oldest son. From Angus generation down it was Collin, Allan, Archibald, Angus, and Collin as the predominate names. Two Johns, one Samuel, three Alexander, and even a William. Females were Margaret, Janet, Joanna, Mary, Marion, Elizabeth, and Hanna. Names uses over and over.

No disrespect, but these are names in my Scottish Highlander Family, and the spelling is on Baptismal records. I have done many, many years of ancestor research, and am very specific to assure when I do the family try I have the correct and accurate documentation, not hearsay or family verbals, I deal with facts. So maybe your origin of names are correct, but my family names are Scottish. My name is spelled correctly as it has been for generations before me. Cheers.

[Jock Scot]

Collin.

With the greatest of respect, I think your thinking shows a fine example of the distinct differences in thinking between one side of the Atlantic and the other. I see so many glimpses of this throughout this website on a fairly regular basis. So much so that sometimes, I really do wonder whether UK and particularly Scottish input has any relevance here.

To my mind, there really does seem to be a reluctance to accept what each other are saying, which of course is inevitable to an extent , but I cannot escape the thought that we over here, a substantial minority, are waisting our breath.

[CollinMacD]

Jock,

I don't think they are very deep grave differences as much variations of the same thing. But I do agree with you, as I am not Scottish by Nationality, but by Heritage, I am American by Nationality. I lived in Oxford, England for four years, and found the British to be similar to my Boston roots, but only slightly different in mannerisms, and customs. Growing up in Boston, and seeing London reminded me of Boston. After all its New England. However, never been to Scotland, and I can imagine its like England but so much different than England in so many ways.

I am not going against the grain of people who post from Scotland or by no means want to be upsetting to anybody on this wonderful forum, but my interest is from the perspective of heritage and history, not from nationality of local upbringing. I clearly see your point. I will not be argumentative on this, but hope you can realize my perspective too. Having NEVER been to Scotland, only England my research, family heritage, and my family experiences are the only Scottish I know. Cases like this are not right or wrong, but slightly different.

Living in England for so long, (my daughter was 3, returned to US when she was 7 with a British accent) I am very familiar with England, but not living or even visiting Scotland does provide a disadvantage from you who are living and born there .

My family comes from Nova Scotia, Canada, close but no cigar. I hope you can understand my perspective too. I can only go by what is documented from my family records from the US, Canada, and Scotland. You were born and brought up in Scotland, and that is why I treasure your perspective views on various things. I think we all can live together here with understand each others backgrounds...

Jock, I have stated before, your input, and comments on so many subjects, I treasure, as you are one of the most knowledgeable, logic and dignified Scottish gentlemen on the forum. I read very carefully and intently what you post. I agree and disagree, but always look forward to your views with respect. Your views and statements help me understand better Scotland. Cheers.

[SouthofDayton]

16 month old grandson named Falcon

[Alisdair]

A couple of points from the 2015 - 2017 lists: Alexander remains in the top 10, but Alistair is not; one nephew I have is named Jack (#1), not John, despite the latter being a big family name, so I'm not as disappointed; and, Mohammed has climbed 11 places in 2017 to #36.

As one of the resident Alisdairs on this forum (are there any others?) I do deplore that Scots are preferring Alexander to its more Scottish equivalent Alisdair...

[Dollander]

As one of the resident Alisdairs on this forum (are there any others?) I do deplore that Scots are preferring Alexander to its more Scottish equivalent Alisdair...

It was likewise unexpected for me that, while John, Jack, and even the Welsh variant Evan made the top 100, Ian (my name) did not. Especially given its surge in popularity in the US since my parents gave it to me in the mid 70s...though it wasn't 'til the early 90s that it was popular enough for strangers to stop pronouncing it "eye-an".

Speaking of Alisdair...I've considered legally changing my middle name from Alexander to the quasi-Anglicized Alastair, or perhaps the Italian variant Alessandro. Either way, a version that lacks the X while leaving me with the same middle initial (thus reducing the number of IDs I'd have to replace). You see, there was a stupid attempt at a tradition in my father's family of calling the men by our middle names, that thankfully only lasted two generations. So despite making it quite clear that I've preferred going by my actual, given, first name since my teens, some of my relatives stubbornly refuse to acknowledge this and continue calling me Alex. But ultimately it's not worth all the trouble just to be able to tell said relatives that it's no longer my name, since they'd probably keep calling me Alex anyway.

[Jack Daw]

As one of the resident Alisdairs on this forum (are there any others?) I do deplore that Scots are preferring Alexander to its more Scottish equivalent Alisdair...

I have a brother Alan, but I'm peevin' that there's no Stephen.

[neloon]

As one of the resident Alisdairs on this forum (are there any others?) I do deplore that Scots are preferring Alexander to its more Scottish equivalent Alisdair...

Alasdair is not "more Scottish", just the Gaelic form (note spelling) of Alexander.

Alan

[Alisdair]

Alasdair is not "more Scottish", just the Gaelic form (note spelling) of Alexander.

Alan

Indeed...I should have said Gaelic.