Names Found in 17th C Wills from the Shetland Islands, Scotland: Women's Given Names
by Mari ingen Briain meic Donnchada (Kathleen M. O'Brien)
© 2013 by Kathleen M. O'Brien. All rights reserved.
Version 1.0, updated 28 June 2013
Women's Given Names
In the lists below, there are a handful of cases where a woman is listed in the records twice.
These occur because there is a listing for a will for that woman and a listing of a will for her husband or widower,
where his will includes her name.
It is also possible, given the time range of these documents, that a woman could be listed as
a child on one or more wills for her parents when she was a minor, then later be listed in her own will
and that of her husband or widower.
Because of these issues, and the inability to be certain when matching up names to identify multiple references
to the same person, I have treated every name as a separate person for the purposes of the frequency counts below.
Also, due to the inability to be certain that any two listing refer to the same person, it is
not possible to tell if a name that originated as a diminutive or corrupted form of another name was used
as a diminutive or "nickname" at the time of these records.
For that reason, I have listed names that originated as diminutive or corrupted forms under their own
header.
Sorted By Frequency
|
| Sorted Alphabetically
| |
| Sort Under | Count | Variant Spelling | Count | Notes |
| Marion | 75 | Marian | 2 | |
| Marion | 73 |
| Margaret | 61 | Margaret | 61 | |
| Katherine | 53 | Catherine | 3 | |
| Katherine | 50 |
| Agnes | 41 | Agnes | 40 | |
| Agnus | 1 |
| Christian | 32 | Christian | 26 | |
| Christine | 2 |
| Cristian | 1 |
| Cristine | 3 |
| Janet | 29 | Janet | 28 | |
| Jenat | 1 |
| Sinnevo | 21 | Sinevo | 7 | From the Old Norse Sunnifa. |
| Sinnavo | 1 |
| Sinnevo | 9 |
| Sinniva | 1 |
| Synnevo | 3 |
| Barbara | 20 | Barbara | 20 | |
| Elspeth | 19 | Elspeth | 19 | A Scots form of Elizabeth. |
| Ingagarth | 18 | Inga | 1 | From the Old Norse Ingigerðr. Inga may be from the Old Norse Inga but is more likely a diminutive or abbreviation of Ingagarth in this context. |
| Ingagarath | 1 |
| Ingagarth | 10 |
| Ingagert | 1 |
| Ingagerth | 4 |
| Ingagord | 1 |
| Helen | 17 | Helen | 17 | |
| Isabel | 15 | Isabel | 8 | A diminutive of Elizabeth. |
| Isabell | 1 |
| Isebil | 1 |
| Isobel | 5 |
| Breta | 14 | Breta | 14 | |
| Jean | 12 | Jane | 1 | |
| Jean | 11 |
| Anna | 11 | Ann | 3 | |
| Anna | 6 |
| Anne | 2 |
| Bessie | 9 | Bess | 1 | A diminutive of Elizabeth. |
| Bessie | 8 |
| Elizabeth | 9 | Elizabeth | 9 | |
| Grissel | 9 | Grissel | 6 | |
| Grissil | 1 |
| Grizel | 1 |
| Grizell | 1 |
| Marjorie | 9 | Marjorie | 9 | |
| Bryde | 8 | Bryde | 8 | From the Gaelic Brighid. |
| Magdalen | 8 | Magdalen | 8 | |
| Mary | 8 | Marie | 4 | |
| Mary | 4 |
| Sara | 6 | Sara | 5 | |
| Sarah | 1 |
| Garthrow | 5 | Gairthrow | 2 | |
| Garthrow | 2 |
| Guthrow | 1 |
| Martha | 5 | Mart | 1 | |
| Martha | 4 |
| Euphane | 4 | Euphan | 2 | |
| Euphane | 2 |
| Doratie | 3 | Doratie | 2 | |
| Dorothie | 1 |
| Eliza | 3 | Eliza | 3 | A diminutive of Elizabeth. |
| Lilias | 3 | Lilias | 3 | |
| Clara | 2 | Clara | 1 | |
| Claray | 1 |
| Helgo | 2 | Helgo | 1 | From the Old Norse Helga. |
| Hilgo | 1 |
| Magnus | 2 | Magnus | 2 | |
| Mans | 2 | Mans | 1 | Originated as a form of Magnus. |
| Manss | 1 |
| Olave | 2 | Olave | 2 | From the Old Norse Ólǫf. |
| Beggis | 1 | Beggis | 1 | |
| Gotherum | 1 | Gotherum | 1 | From the Old Norse Guðrún. |
| Gullis | 1 | Gullis | 1 | |
| Guneild | 1 | Guneild | 1 | From the Old Norse Gunnhildr. |
| John | 1 | John | 1 | |
| Judith | 1 | Judith | 1 | |
| Mallie | 1 | Mallie | 1 | |
| Manson | 1 | Manson | 1 | |
| Marbrun | 1 | Marbrun | 1 | |
| Marote | 1 | Marote | 1 | |
| Mina | 1 | Mina | 1 | |
| Sophia | 1 | Sophia | 1 | |
| Susana | 1 | Susana | 1 | |
| Syne | 1 | Syne | 1 | Possibly from the Old Norse Signý. |
| Ursella | 1 | Ursella | 1 | |
| Zinneir | 1 | Zinneir | 1 | I do not know if the Z in this name represents a Z or a yogh. If it is a yogh, this name would properly be written Ȝinneir. |
| (blank) | 1 | (blank) | 1 | |
|
|
| Sort Under | Count | Variant Spelling | Count | Notes |
| Agnes | 41 | Agnes | 40 | |
| Agnus | 1 |
| Anna | 11 | Ann | 3 | |
| Anna | 6 |
| Anne | 2 |
| Barbara | 20 | Barbara | 20 | |
| Beggis | 1 | Beggis | 1 | |
| Bessie | 9 | Bess | 1 | A diminutive of Elizabeth. |
| Bessie | 8 |
| Breta | 14 | Breta | 14 | |
| Bryde | 8 | Bryde | 8 | From the Gaelic Brighid. |
| Christian | 32 | Christian | 26 | |
| Christine | 2 |
| Cristian | 1 |
| Cristine | 3 |
| Clara | 2 | Clara | 1 | |
| Claray | 1 |
| Doratie | 3 | Doratie | 2 | |
| Dorothie | 1 |
| Eliza | 3 | Eliza | 3 | A diminutive of Elizabeth. |
| Elizabeth | 9 | Elizabeth | 9 | |
| Elspeth | 19 | Elspeth | 19 | A Scots form of Elizabeth. |
| Euphane | 4 | Euphan | 2 | |
| Euphane | 2 |
| Garthrow | 5 | Gairthrow | 2 | |
| Garthrow | 2 |
| Guthrow | 1 |
| Gotherum | 1 | Gotherum | 1 | From the Old Norse Guðrún. |
| Grissel | 9 | Grissel | 6 | |
| Grissil | 1 |
| Grizel | 1 |
| Grizell | 1 |
| Gullis | 1 | Gullis | 1 | |
| Guneild | 1 | Guneild | 1 | From the Old Norse Gunnhildr. |
| Helen | 17 | Helen | 17 | |
| Helgo | 2 | Helgo | 1 | From the Old Norse Helga. |
| Hilgo | 1 |
| Ingagarth | 18 | Inga | 1 | From the Old Norse Ingigerðr. Inga may be from the Old Norse Inga but is more likely a diminutive or abbreviation of Ingagarth in this context. |
| Ingagarath | 1 |
| Ingagarth | 10 |
| Ingagert | 1 |
| Ingagerth | 4 |
| Ingagord | 1 |
| Isabel | 15 | Isabel | 8 | A diminutive of Elizabeth. |
| Isabell | 1 |
| Isebil | 1 |
| Isobel | 5 |
| Janet | 29 | Janet | 28 | |
| Jenat | 1 |
| Jean | 12 | Jane | 1 | |
| Jean | 11 |
| John | 1 | John | 1 | |
| Judith | 1 | Judith | 1 | |
| Katherine | 53 | Catherine | 3 | |
| Katherine | 50 |
| Lilias | 3 | Lilias | 3 | |
| Magdalen | 8 | Magdalen | 8 | |
| Magnus | 2 | Magnus | 2 | |
| Mallie | 1 | Mallie | 1 | |
| Mans | 2 | Mans | 1 | Originated as a form of Magnus. |
| Manss | 1 |
| Manson | 1 | Manson | 1 | |
| Marbrun | 1 | Marbrun | 1 | |
| Margaret | 61 | Margaret | 61 | |
| Marion | 75 | Marian | 2 | |
| Marion | 73 |
| Marjorie | 9 | Marjorie | 9 | |
| Marote | 1 | Marote | 1 | |
| Martha | 5 | Mart | 1 | |
| Martha | 4 |
| Mary | 8 | Marie | 4 | |
| Mary | 4 |
| Mina | 1 | Mina | 1 | |
| Olave | 2 | Olave | 2 | From the Old Norse Ólǫf. |
| Sara | 6 | Sara | 5 | |
| Sarah | 1 |
| Sinnevo | 21 | Sinevo | 7 | From the Old Norse Sunnifa. |
| Sinnavo | 1 |
| Sinnevo | 9 |
| Sinniva | 1 |
| Synnevo | 3 |
| Sophia | 1 | Sophia | 1 | |
| Susana | 1 | Susana | 1 | |
| Syne | 1 | Syne | 1 | Possibly from the Old Norse Signý. |
| Ursella | 1 | Ursella | 1 | |
| Zinneir | 1 | Zinneir | 1 | I do not know if the Z in this name represents a Z or a yogh. If it is a yogh, this name would properly be written Ȝinneir. |
| (blank) | 1 | (blank) | 1 | |
| | |
Medieval Scotland | Medieval Names Archive | Names Found in 17th C Wills from the Shetland Islands, Scotland
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(Jan 2006)
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