Its Gaelic name, Kintail, (head of the sea), was the district name until 1724, when a separate parish was formed, parish of Tongue (N. lung, a tongue), out of the original extensive parish of Durness. The place-names of Tongue are a mixture of Norse and Gaelic, the former prevailing.

 

• Torrisdale, N. Thorns, dale, cp. Thurso.

• Achtoitidh, G. achadh, field, tobhta, a Gaelic loan-word from N. toft, tuft, hillock.

• Skerray, N. skerja, borrowed as Gaelic sgeir. Almost all words beginning with sg, sc, are loan-words in Gaelic. The Celt disliked initial sg. The Welshman gets over the difficulty by prefixing^.

• Scullomie, N. skol (cup-shaped), hivamr, village.

• Lamigo, N. lamb's goe.

• Colbacky, N. kyle and bakki, sand-banks, so named from the sand-banks at the mouth of the Kyle. Norse Kyle becomes Keol'm. Gaelic, cp. Keoldale (Kyle dale).

• Ribigill, N. rygar-bol, ladies' township. Old spelling

• Rigaboll, by metathesis Ribigill.

• Tongue, N. tonga, tongue.

• Kirkiboll, N. Kirkja-boll, church town.

• Melness, N. ttielr, sand-bank, ness, point.

• Skianaid, G. sgiath, wing, and aite, place; “the wing of the place " is fully descriptive.

• Talmin, G. talamh, earth and soil, and mine, smooth. ?

• Port Vasco. On the ordinance survey maps it is etymologised into G. port an fhasgaidh, port of shelter. The word is more probably Norse, the final goe, creek, proving its Norse origin.

• Achaninver, achadh-an-inbhir, G. inbhir, river-mouth.

• Moine, G. am moine, the moss or peat-moss.

• Beinn Thutaig, a hill 1340 feet high. Removing the aspiration, the original form is Tuit-aig. Aig is of frequent occurrence as a place ending, and generally means small.

• Tuit is from N. toft, knoll.

• Lettermore, G. leitir, hillside, mor, great.

• Hysbackie, N. hiis, house, bakki, bank, ridge.

• Ben Loyal, G. leamh and choill, elm-tree. ?