Scottish Place Names

Towns, villages, islands, mountains, lochs and rivers of Scotland - all are listed, and the derivation of their names - some curious - some extraordinary - is given throughout. All have a story to tell, and Scotland's rich history is apparent in these place names. Celtic, Nordic and Anglo-Saxon influences that span 2,000 years from the beginning of the Common or Christian Era to the 11th century are shown. And as the incoming Celts did not find an empty land, some names can be traced to Pictish times. With the arrival of the Scots in the 6th century, Gaelic names began to appear, and then, a century later, Anglian names appeared from the south, to later be influenced by French and Dutch, becoming the 'Scots' tongue of the Middle Ages. The advent of the Norsemen in the 9th century produced Norse names in the North, the Northern and Western Isles and the South-West. Many names are Scots transliterations of Gaelic. Auchenshuggle, long thought of as an appropriate destination for Glasgow's