What’s In A Name?
There are many Mackays in Dùthaich MhicAoidh but equally many other names as well. The use of surnames in the Gaidhealtachd is very recent, historically speaking. As Dwelly points out:
“The sole object of Gaelic surnames is to make the identity of the person spoken of as clear as possible through the speaker reminding his hearers by means of his name every time it is mentioned, to whom or where he ‘belongs’.”[1]
Dwelly comments that a person whose father is long settled in the area will be named after him but if his mother is long settled then he will be named after her – for instance Domhall Ciorstan.
It was only in the late 18th century that what we think of today as surnames began to be used. As Bangor-Jones notes:
“the use of the surname Mackay was restricted either to the landlord and his immediate kin or to the larger farmers, or tacksmen, until well into the 18th century. It is clear however, that while there were many Mackays hiding behind their patronymics, there were also fair numbers of other names, such as Macdonald, Campbell and Munro. There were also several Gordon families introduced after the Sutherland family take-over of Strathnaver had begun.”[2]
When estates and government started to undertake planning and census, standard surnames like Mackay or Macdonald were soon allocated to people as lists were created. These names were those of the tacksman, Chief or landlord instead of the actual name known locally. This can be seen in Bangor-Jone’s booklet where a list of ‘men, tenants and servants’ made in 1667 includes names like ‘Iver more’ and ‘Hutcheon macwilliam mcrory mcean mcallaster’. By the time of the 1811 census in Farr there are no such names in the list – everyone has a standard surname as we know them today. However in day to day life the more traditional naming system was still being used. Today we still have something of that in the use of by-names and some patronymics.
Today, as in the past, there are a range of names and the work of this project is for everyone whose home is in Dùthaich MhicAoidh, no matter what their name might be!
[1] P 1003. E. Dwelly 1971 The Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary 7th Edition Garim, Glasgow
[2] p1 M. Bangor-Jones 2000 Population Lists of Strathnaver, Strathy and Strath Halladale 1667 – 1811 The Assynt Press