My name Hume (alternative spelling Home) has caused a lot of controversy. Because the name is found in Berwickshire one authority says it's old Northumbrian for 'at the heights'. The general consensus of opinion is that it's from the old Danish Hulmr (meaning river island or river meadow). It's true Hume Castle is situated on high ground, but it's nowhere near a 'river island' and as far as records show the name has never had an 'L' in it. It has been suggested with some authority that it's from the old Gaelic for 'of the cave', and I believe that's the true origin. A cadet branch of the old MacDuff Thanes of Fife had the designation 'Nan-h-Umah' (sorry, I know it's not the correct spelling) probably alluding to the caves found underneath MacDuff's Castle at West Weymes. 'The Great MacDuff' helped King Malcolm 111 to regain his father's crown (legend says that he slew MacBeth himself) and it is known that he was rewarded with lands in The Lothians - which is where Hume is located. This makes perfect sense to me, whereby the modern spelling Hume is derived from the Gaelic 'h-Umah'. In olden times the letter 'u' probably had some sort of mark above it and in an old charter the letter and the mark joined to form what looked like a letter 'o' - hence the spelling Home.
What do you think?