{"id":31665,"date":"2014-04-09T00:08:59","date_gmt":"2014-04-09T07:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=31665"},"modified":"2014-04-09T05:00:18","modified_gmt":"2014-04-09T12:00:18","slug":"origins-names-historic-scottish-counties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2014\/04\/origins-names-historic-scottish-counties\/","title":{"rendered":"The Origins of the Names of the Historic Scottish Counties"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"scotland\"<\/a>Continuing our jaunt around the English speaking parts of the globe looking at the origins of the names of major places: today I found out the origins of the names of the historic Scottish counties.<\/p>\n

Aberdeenshire<\/b><\/p>\n

The prefix aber<\/i> means \u201cthe meeting of,\u201d and usually represents a river flowing through the area. In Aberdeen\u2019s case, it means \u201cthe meeting of the Dee and Don rivers.\u201d Put it all together and you get Aber + Dee + Don, which make up Aberdeen.<\/p>\n

Angus<\/b><\/p>\n

Angus is believed to be related to the Irish Aonghus,<\/i> which means \u201cone choice.\u201d Angus cattle originated in the county in the mid-1840s.<\/p>\n

Argyllshire<\/b><\/p>\n

It is believed that Argyllshire developed from the old Irish airer,<\/i> which means \u201ccountry.\u201d All up, the name means \u201ccountry of the Gaels.\u201d The Campbell clan ruled Argyll, and their tartan is thought to have inspired the Argyle pattern. Argyle socks date back to 1935.<\/p>\n

Ayrshire<\/b><\/p>\n

County Ayr’s name came from the River Ayr, which runs through it. Ayr is thought to come from the Celtic root ar<\/i> or adh’ar,<\/i> which means either “clear” or “rapid,” characteristics of the river.<\/p>\n

Banffshire<\/b><\/p>\n

There are a few different theories about where Banffshire got its name. First, it could come from the Gaelic word banbh,<\/i> which means \u201cpiglet,\u201d though this is considered an unlikely origin by many sources. Second, it might come from buinne,<\/i> which means stream. Third, it might come from Bean-naomh,<\/i> which means \u201cHoly woman.\u201d A holy woman is represented on the city of Banff\u2019s coat of arms, which makes the third option the likely origin.<\/p>\n

Berwickshire<\/b><\/p>\n

The suffix \u201cwick\u201d comes from wic<\/i>, which simply means a dwelling or farm. The \u201cBer\u201d part of the name is up for some debate. Many sources claim that it comes from the word bere<\/i>, which meant \u201cbarley,\u201d making the name mean \u201cbarley farm.\u201d Others claim it stems from the word bear, a chieftain called Beryng, or a castle called Bar.<\/p>\n

Buteshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Buteshire is another name whose etymology we can only guess. One of the most likely origins is that it came from the Old Irish b\u00f3t<\/i>, which means \u201cfire,\u201d possibly referring to signal fires on the beaches of Bute.<\/p>\n

Caithness<\/b><\/p>\n

The suffix \u201cness\u201d means \u201cheadland.\u201d The origins of \u201cCaith\u201d aren\u2019t clear, but legend has it that Cait was the son of the Pictish king Cruidne filius Cinge. Cait settled in what would be known as Caithness, or \u201cCait\u2019s Headland.\u201d Alternatively, the name could come from the word Cruithne,<\/i> which is what the Irish called the Pictish people of Scotland. Cruith<\/i> meant \u201cshape\u201d or \u201cdesign,\u201d possibly referring to the tattoos the tribes bore.<\/p>\n

Clackmannanshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Clackmannan comes from Clach Mannan<\/i>, which means \u201cstone of Manau.\u201d The stone refers to an old monument that was built there. Manau, or Manaw, was an ancient kingdom in the area that stretched north and south of the Firth River. Unfortunately, it isn\u2019t known what Manau means.<\/p>\n

Cromartyshire<\/b><\/p>\n

The name Cromarty is derived from the Gaelic words crom<\/i>, which means \u201ccrooked,\u201d and either ard<\/i>, which means \u201cheight,\u201d or bati,<\/i> which means \u201cbay.\u201d As the name used to be Crumbathyn,<\/i> the latter seems more likely, making this place name mean \u201ccrooked bay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dumfriesshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Most likely, Dumfries is a combination of Dun Phris.<\/i> Dun<\/i> means \u201cfortress,\u201d while phris<\/i> means \u201cthicket.\u201d So, Dumfries means \u201cfortress of the thicket.\u201d It\u2019s also possible that it means something along the lines of \u201cFriar\u2019s Hill\u201d based on the idea that St. Ninian might have founded a monastery in the area.<\/p>\n

Dunbartonshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Like Dumfries, the dun<\/i> in Dunbarton means \u201cfortress.\u201d The barton<\/i> is a form of breatainn<\/i>, which means \u201cBritain.\u201d So, Dunbartonshire was named after a British fortress situated in the area.<\/p>\n

East Lothian<\/b><\/p>\n

Lothian is named after Loth, a legendary Pictish King who ruled in the 500s A.D. He was known for being vengeful, as told in a story about his only daughter who had fallen in love with a shepherd.<\/p>\n

Fife<\/b><\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t known exactly where Fife comes from. It\u2019s possible that it is derived from the German word \u201cpfeife,\u201d which means \u201cpipe.\u201d It\u2019s also possible that, like Caithness, it\u2019s named after one of the legendary seven sons of Cruidne named Fib.<\/p>\n

Inverness-shire<\/b><\/p>\n

Inver<\/i> comes from the Gaelic inbhir<\/i>, which means \u201cmouth of the river.\u201d Combined with the suffix ness,<\/i> which means \u201cheadland,\u201d it means \u201cheadland at the mouth of the river.\u201d Inverness is home to the famous Loch Ness. (See How the Loch Ness Monster Myth<\/a> got started)<\/p>\n

Kincardineshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Kincardine comes from the Gaelic ceann<\/i>, meaning \u201chead,\u201d and the Pictish cardden,<\/i> meaning \u201cthicket or garden.\u201d The \u201chead\u201d likely means \u201cheadland\u201d rather than \u201cbody part\u201d as the county is on the coast.<\/p>\n

Kinross-shire<\/b><\/p>\n

Like Kincardine, the first part of Kinross\u2019 name comes from ceann<\/i>, meaning \u201chead.\u201d The second part comes from rois<\/i>, meaning \u201cwooded.\u201d Kinross, then, means \u201cwooded headland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirkcudbrightshire<\/b><\/p>\n

The prefix kirk<\/i> means \u201cchurch.\u201d You\u2019ll find a lot of kirks around Scotland. Cudbright<\/i> is a mispronunciation of St. Cuthbert, who was famous for his piety and obedience, as well as had several miracles attributed to him after his death.<\/p>\n

Lanarkshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Lanark comes from the Gaelic word Lannaig,<\/i> which simply means \u201cclearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Midlothian<\/b><\/p>\n

Basically the same origin as East Lothian, but just “mid”- Lothian is named after Loth, a legendary Pictish King who ruled in the 500s A.D. He was known for being vengeful, as told in a story about his only daughter who had fallen in love with a shepherd.<\/p>\n

Morayshire<\/b><\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t known exactly how Moray got its name. It\u2019s an anglicized version of the Gaelic Mhoireibh,<\/i> and unfortunately we don\u2019t know its meaning.<\/p>\n

Nairnshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Nairnshire got its name from the River Nairn, once known as the River Narann. The exact meaning of the river\u2019s name is unknown.<\/p>\n

Orkney<\/b><\/p>\n

The Orkney Islands were given their name by the Vikings, whose word for island was ey<\/i>. The orkn<\/i> part of the name means \u201cseal\u201d (and sort of sounds like one too!) So, the Orkney Islands are the \u201cseal islands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peeblesshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Peebles is an anglicised version of the Welsh pebyll<\/i>, which means \u201ctent\u201d or \u201cpavilion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perthshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Perthshire comes from the Gaelic word peairt,<\/i> which means \u201ccopse.\u201d In addition to being a historical county in Scotland, Perth is the name of the capital of Western Australia.<\/p>\n

Renfrewshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Renfreshire gets its name from the Gaelic words Rinn Friu,<\/i> but unfortunately we once again can\u2019t be certain what that means.<\/p>\n

Ross-shire<\/b><\/p>\n

Ross, like Kinross, comes from the word rois,<\/i> which means \u201cwooded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roxburghshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Roxburgh gets its name from the Old English hrocas burh,<\/i> which means \u201cvillage of the rook\u201d or \u201cvillage of Hroca,\u201d with Hroca being the name of a person. Interestingly, these Old English words are also where we get the word \u201crugby\u201d from. (See Why Soccer is Called That in America<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Selkirkshire<\/b><\/p>\n

The kirk<\/i> in Selkirkshire means \u201cchurch.\u201d The Sel<\/i> comes from the Selgovae tribe who lived in the area. The county gets its name from the \u201cchurch for the Selgovae.\u201d Selgovae is believed to mean \u201cthe hunters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shetland<\/b><\/p>\n

Shetland comes from the Old Norse hjaltland<\/i>. A hjalt<\/i> is also known as the hilt of a sword. It\u2019s believed that the Shetland Islands got this name because they are arranged in a shape that vaguely resembles the hilt of a sword.<\/p>\n

Stirlingshire<\/b><\/p>\n

Stirling comes from the Gaelic sruighlea,<\/i> which either means \u201cbattle\u201d or something along the lines of \u201cMelyn\u2019s dwelling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sutherland<\/b><\/p>\n

You can probably guess that Sutherland means \u201csouth land.\u201d Interestingly, it isn\u2019t in the south of Scotland at all, but is one of the northernmost counties. It\u2019s thought that the Norse named it Sutherland because it was more southern than the Orkney Islands.<\/p>\n

West Lothian<\/b><\/p>\n

Again, like \u201cEast Lothian\u201d and “Midlothian”- Lothian is named after Loth, a legendary Pictish King who ruled in the 500s A.D. He was known for being vengeful, as told in a story about his only daughter who had fallen in love with a shepherd.<\/p>\n

Wigtownshire<\/b><\/p>\n

The wig<\/i> in Wigtown is thought to have originally been wic,<\/i> the word for \u201cfarm.\u201d It\u2019s basically \u201cFarm Town.\u201d<\/p>\n

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