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Scottish Gaelic Given Names for Women

Scottish Gaelic Given Names for Women:
Names of Scottish Gaels from Non-Gaelic Scottish Sources

(Christian/Christine)
Draft Edition

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

See also Cairistiona?.

Pre-1600 Scottish Gaelic Evidence

As yet, no pre-1600 Scottish Gaelic examples of the name have been found.

Pre-1600 Latin Language Evidence

From Munro Acts of the Lords of the Isles, I find one illigitimate daughter of John, Lord of the Isles (d. 1387x8) who they give as <Christiana> (in a place where they use normalized and/or modern forms) and say "Licence to marry Robert Savage of the Ulster family granted 16 Feb. ... ratified by Richard II, 4 May 1388." (Munro, Appendix D, Table 4, note 4)

From Munro Acts of the Lords of the Isles, an earlier Christina related to the Lords of the Isles (daughter of Alan, great-grandson of Somerled) of which they say "Perhaps the only legitimate child of Alan ...; married Duncan, son of Donald, earl of Mar ... helped Bruce in the Isles 1306/7 ..., granted lands and chapel in Uist to Inchaffray ...; as Christiana de Marre filia quondam Allani filii Roderici, resigned Garmoran to half-brother Roderick...; named filia et heres of Alan in charter to Arthur Campbell ..." (Munro, Appendix D, Table 1, note 13).

The same woman appears in two charters:
1389: <Cristina filia Alani> (Munro, no. 10)
1410: <Cristine filie Alani domine et heredis de Wystis> [genitive case] (Munro, no. 18)

From the dates, it appears that these charters that mention her are not contemporary with her (if she helped Bruce in 1306/7, she wouldn't have been around in 1389, let alone 1410). The charters are confirming grants she made, and so quite reasonably could have been issued after she was dead. Based on the Bruce info, Cristina filia Alani lived in the late 13th century/early 14th century.

A list of Gaels who were parishioners in Kilmacronak in Muckarne, in the west Highlands, in 1541 included "Cristina fullonis".[Ewen, p. 209]  But here these names are being recorded in Latin, not Gaelic.

So while this shows that late 13th-16th century Scottish Gaels were using a name that was recorded in Latin documents as <Cristina>, it does not tell us what the medieval Gaelic form of that name was.

Pre-1600 Scots Language Evidence

Entries in the late 16th century Burgh Court Books for Inverness record the names of a number of women who, based on their full names, were apparently Gaels (although, since they appear in a burgh/town, at least some of them may have been bi-cultural). Examples include:

• "Christan Neyn Ane McThomas" - 1571
• "Christane Neyn Gowin"" - 1571
• "Christan Neyn Ane McThomas" - 1585
• "Jannet and Cristan Nyn Gillepadryk Crowbach" - 1561
• "Crystane Nyne Ane Ross" - 1564
• "Cristan Nyne Manis" - 1564
• "Christan Nyk Queyne" - 1572
• "Christan Nyk Queyne" - 1575

But these names are being recorded in Scots, not Gaelic.

So while this shows that late 16th century Scottish Gaels were using a name that was recorded in Scots language documents as <Christan> and other spelling variants, it does not tell us what the medieval Gaelic form of that name was.

Pre-1600 Irish Gaelic Evidence

1269
Cristina inghean Uí Neachtain ben Diarmada Midhigh Meic Diarmata, ben dob'ferr eneach & ionnracus don cineadh dá m-baoí, & as mó do chuir dá comaoin ar an ord Liath do écc iar m-buaidh n-aithrighe. (Four Masters 3, M1269.8)

Christina, daughter of O'Naghtan, and wife of Dermot Midheach Mac Dermot, the most hospitable and chaste woman of her tribe, and the most bountiful to the order of Grey Friars, died, after the victory of penance. (Four Masters 3 English, M1269.8)

1270
Cristina inghen Uí Neachtain ben Diarmada Midhigh Meic Diarmada do écc, Ben ro budh maith deirc & oineach, & do-rad almsana iomda don ord Liath. (Four Masters 3, M1270.9)

Christina, daughter of O'Naghtan, and wife of Dermot Midheach Mac Dermot, died. She was a good, charitable, and hospitable woman, and had given much alms to the order of Grey Friars. (Four Masters 3 English, M1270.10)

1269
Cristina ingen h. Nechtain ben Diarmata Midig Meic Diarmata, in ben dob ferr delb & denam, enech & inrucuss, ciall & crabad bai a nErinn a n-aenamsir ria, & ba mo commain arin Ordd Liath, do ecc iar mbuaid n-aithrige. (Connacht, 1269.9)

Christine, daughter of O Nechtain and wife of Diarmait Midech Mac Diarmata, fairest of form, most bounteous and just, prudent and pious of all the women of her time, and who conferred the most benefits on the Cistercian Order, died after a triumph of repentance. (Connacht English, 1269.9)

Modern Scottish Gaelic Evidence

Other Post-1600 Evidence

Black, s.n. GILLEDUFF, indicates "Cristiane Gilleduffis dochter was one of the sufferers from the hership of Petty, 1502 (Rose, p. 177)." Petty is in modern Inverness-shire, so given her father's name of Gilleduff and that location, she was likely a Gael. However, Black's Rose refers to

Rose, Hew, and Lachlan Shaw. A Genealogical Deduction of the Family of Rose of Kilravock. Edited by Cosmo Innes. Vol. 18, Publications of the Spalding Club. Aberdeen: Spalding Club, 1848.
"Deduction written in 1683-4 by Hew Rose, minister of Nairn (including Latin transcripts of some docs.); with a continuation written in 1753 by Lachlan Shaw. Illustrative docs., Latin and English, 1294-1815." [ref=http://www.nls.uk/print/search/indx/indx.cfm?key=36.18]

So unfortunately, due to the nature of Black's source, Black's citation only tells us that her name was recorded as "Cristiane Gilleduffis dochter" at some point prior to around 1815, but not necessarily how her name was or would have been written in 1502.

Speculative Pre-1600 Scottish Gaelic Form

Scottish Gaelic Given Names for Women

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