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Scottish Gaelic Given Names: For Men:
Names of Scottish Gaels from Scottish Gaelic Sources
Cailin
Draft Edition

This is a draft edition! It is very incomplete! See the first part of this article. You have been warned!

Evidence: * Scottish * Irish * Modern * Conclusions

Evidence

Pre-1600 Scottish Gaelic Evidence (from documents written using Gaelic orthography)

The 1467 manuscript, a collection of genealogies of Scottish Gaelic families written in Ireland by a Scottish Gael and dated 1467 A.D., gives the following spellings for forms of Cailin (1467 MS):

Unicode < ī > and ASCII <{i-}> represent an <i> with a straight line above it as an abbreviation mark; in these cases, the abbreviation mark is indicating that a following <n> has been omitted. Generations are counted backwards in time, such that the 1st generation is the first person listed, the 2nd generation is his father, the third generation is his grandfather, and so on. Note, however, that the first person listed in a genealogy was not necessary alive at the time the genealogy was written in 1467 -- in some cases he may have been dead for many generations. Note also that the 1467 MS tends towards archaic spellings.

Pre-1600 Scottish Gaelic Evidence (from documents written in Gaelic but using Scots orthography)

As yet, no pre-1600 Scottish Gaelic examples of the name have been found in documents written in Gaelic but using Scots orthography.

Pre-1600 Latin Evidence from Scotland

(To be included when found.)

Pre-1600 Scots Language Evidence

(To be included when found.)

Pre-1600 Irish Gaelic Evidence

References to Scottish Gaels from various Irish annals:

U1513.14 (Ulster 3)
Sluaighedh lá rígh Alpan co maithibh Alpan uimé d'á raibhe tri fichit mili fer coganta a crich t-Shaxan. Loiscis & airccis an tír do gach leth. Cruinnighis Loard Seomuirlín & a mac & cliar t-Shaxan & cumín t-Shaxan 'na n-aghaidh. Tucsat cath d'á céile & muighidh for Albanchaibh & marbtar ri Alpan ann & Mac Calín & airdespuc Sangct Andriás & mórán do thigernaibh ailibh Alban & mórán nuimer di-airmidhe do doínibh ar gach taob. Ocus berthar corp and righ co Lundain.

U1513.14
A hosting by the king of Scotland, with the nobles of Scotland around him, whereon there were three score thousand men of battle in the territory of the Saxons. He burns and harries the country on each side. Lord Chamberlain and his son and the united forces of the Saxons muster against them. They gave battle to each other and the Scots were defeated and there were slain there the king of Scotland and Mac Calin and the archbishop of St. Andrews and many other lords of Scotland and a large number hard to count of people on each side. And the corpse of the king is carried to London.

U1523.4 (Ulster 3) [This may not refer to a Scottish Gael.]
Mac Gilla Eaain, .i. Lachlann, mac Echainn, nech budh mor clú & bud crúaidh láimhe, do mharbadh a feall lesin Ridere, mac Mic Cailín, a m-baile in righ.

U1523.4
Mac Gilla-Eain, namely, Lachlann, son of Echann, one who was of great fame and of vigorous hand, was slain in treachery by the Knight, son of Mac Cailin, in the town of the king.

M1555.5 (Four Masters 5)
Mac Uí Domhnaill .i. An Calbhach do dhol go h-Albain go n-uathadh dagh-dhaoíne ina caoímhtheacht, & fuair sochraide shlóigh ó Mac Cailín (.i. Giolla Espaig Donn) & maighistir Arsibél a t-toisigheacht forra. Tanaicc iaramh go f-feacht mór Albanach lais do mhilleadh & do mhí-imirt Tire Conuill. Bá don chur-sin do-bert lais gonna dia n-goirthí an Gonna Cam las ro brisedh Caislén Nua Innsi h-Eocchain, & caislén Eanaigh. Iar t-teacht dó cetus don tír, ro gabhadh lais Ua Domhnaill Maghnus a athair h-i r-Rosracha, ní ro leicc uadha an fheacht Albanach-sin on t-samhfuin a t-tangattar go féil Brénainn ar c-cionn. Baoí tra Ua Domhnaill i l-láimh go a écc.

M1555.5
The son of O'Donnell, i.e. Calvagh, went to Scotland, attended by a few select persons, and obtained auxiliary forces from Mac Calin (Gillaspick Don), under the command of Master Arsibel. He afterwards came back, with a great body of Scots, to desolate and ravage Tirconnell. It was on this occasion that he brought with him a gun called Gonna-Cam, by which Newcastle in Inishowen, and the castle of Eanach, were demolished. Upon his first arrival in the country, he took O'Donnell (Manus), his father, prisoner, at Rosracha, and retained this body of Scottish troops from the Allhallowtide, in which they arrived, until the festival of St. Brendan following. O'Donnell remained in captivity until his death.

LC1529.12 (Loch Cé 2)
Mac Ailín .i. Cailín mac Gille Espuig, én rogha a n-oirir ghaoidhelaibh uile ar engnum ocus ar einech, dh'éc.

LC1529.12
Mac Ailín, i.e. Cailín, son of Gilla-espuig, the choice of all in Oirer-Gaeidhel for prowess and bounty, died.

1529.11 (Connacht)
Mac Cailin .i. Cailin mac Gilla Espuic, enrogha a nOirir Ghaoidhelaib uile ar engnam & ar oinec, mortuus est.

1529.11
Mac Cailin, Cailin son of Gilla Espuic, the favourite in all Argyle for his valour and bounty, died.

And from Foras Feasa ar Éirinn [The History of Ireland] by Geoffrey Keating (Keating), written between 1628 and 1636:

XLIX.

Léaghthear imorro i seanchus na h-Éireann go ndeachadar na dronga-so síos i
n-Albain diaidh i ndiaidh do ghabháil neirt na h-Alban.

Ar dtús do chuaidh Aonghus Ollbhuadhach mac Fiachach Labhruinne do chur
airdchíosa ríogh Éireann i n-áirithe ar Cruithneachaibh i gcionn dá chéad
go leith bliadhan iar dteacht mhac Míleadh i n-Éirinn. Do chuaidh aimsear
imchian da eis sin Reachtaigh Ríghdhearg rí Éireann do chur chíosa ortha.
Do chuaidh mar an gcéadna Cairbre Ríoghfhada go n-a fhuirinn do ghabháil
neirt i dtuaisceart Alban, agus is do shliocht Chairbre Ríoghfhada
ghairmeas Beda Dalrheudini na h-Alban. Do chuaidh Mac Con do ghabháil neirt
na h-Alban agus na Breatan agus is asta táinig i n-Éirinn do cur Catá
Muighe Muchruimhe, áit ar thuit Art Aonifhear, gur ghabh Mac Con flaitheas
Éireann uile, amhail adubhramar. Da éis sin téid Fathaidh Canann mac Mic
Con i n-Albain gur ghabh fearann innte, gonadh da shliocht Mac Cailín go na
ghabhlaibh geinealaigh. Téid arís Colla Uais go n-a bhráithribh i n-Albain
agus gabhaid fearann mór innte; gonadh ón g-Colla Uais sin tángadar clann
nDomhnaill na h-Alban agus na h-Éireann. Téid Criomhthann mac Fiodhaigh rí
Éireanndo ghabháil neirt i n-Albain, agus Earc mac Eochach Muinreamhair mic
Aonghusa Firt do shliocht Chairbre Ríoghfhada, agus is da shliocht
ghairmthear clann Eirc agus Cinéal Gabhráin i n-Albain, agus fós Cinéal
Lodhairn Cinéal Comhghaill agus Cinéal nAonghusa agus Cinéal Con Críche an
Íle go n-a ngabhlaibh geinealaigh.

XLIX.

We read in the seanchus of Ireland that the following tribes went to Alba
in succession to conquer that country.

First Aonghus Ollbhuadhach son of Fiachaidh Labhruinne went to impose on
the Cruithnigh their headrent to the kings of Ireland two hundred and fifty
years after the coming of the sons of Milidh to Ireland. A long time after
that, Reachtaigh Rioghdhearg, king of Ireland, went to impose rent on them.
Similarly Cairbre Rioghfhada with his host went to invade the north of
Alba; and it is the race of Cairbre Rioghfhada that Beda calls the
Dalrheudini of Alba. Mac Con went to conquer Alba and Britain; and it was
from these countries he came to Ireland to fight the Battle of Magh
Muchruimhe in which Art Aoinfhear fell, and Mac Con assumed the sovereignty
of all Ireland, as we have said. After this Fathaidh Canann son of Mac Con
went to Alba, and took possession of lands there; and from his posterity
Mac Cailin and the correlative branches of that family have sprung. Also
Colla Uais and his brothers went to Scotland, and they acquired large
territories there; and from this Colla Uais sprang the clann Domhnaill of
Alba and of Ireland. Criomhthann son of Fiodhach, king of Ireland, went to
Scotland to make conquests; and Earc son of Eochaidh Muinreamhar, son of
Aonghus Feart of the race of Cairbre Rioghfhada, and his posterity are
called clann Eirc and Cineal Gabhran in Alba, and also Cineal Lodhairn,
Cineal Comhghaill, and Cineal nAonghusa and the Cineal Con Crice of the
Isle, with their branches.

 

Pre-1600 Latin Evidence from Ireland

(To be included if found.)

Pre-1600 English Language Evidence from Ireland

(To be included if found.)

Modern Scottish Gaelic Evidence

(To be included if found.)

Conclusions

Speculative Pre-1600 Scottish Gaelic Forms

(To be written when time permits.)

Summary

In the table below, all Gaelic spellings are normalized; the first column gives Early Gaelic spellings (roughly 600-900 AD), the fifth text column gives Middle Gaelic spellings (roughly 900-1200 AD), and the ninth text column gives Common Gaelic spellings (roughly 1200-1700). A question mark, ?, after a form indicates it is a speculative Scottish Gaelic spelling and parentheses, ( ), around a form indicates it is a non-Gaelic spelling (e.g., Latin or Scots language). Genitive case forms are labeled as such and within square brackets, [ ]. An X in a column indicates there is at least one known example of a form of the name used for a Scottish Gael in the century indicated at the top of that column. An asterisk, *, in a column indicates the same thing except that the evidence has not yet been included above.

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