So and So of Such a Place?

[creagdhubh]

Perhaps a better alternative would be to just use a nickname.

Which is precisely what some of our Highland ancestors did with nicknames and place names in Gàidhlig .

[Dale Seago]

Which is precisely what some of our Highland ancestors did with nicknames and place names in Gàidhlig .

You beat me to it.

There's a pretty good Wikipedia overview with information on Scottish naming conventions that might give people some ideas for distinguishing themselves. For instance, this bit on "To-names":

To-names, or other names,[note 5] were once very common in Scotland.[15] These names were used in areas where there were not many different names, and the to-names were added onto the name of person, in order to distinguish them from others who bore the same name. To-names were particularly prevalent in fishing communities in the northeastern part of Scotland,[15] but were also used in the Borders and the West Highlands.[6] In some cases within fishing communities, the names of fishing boats were tacked onto the names people in order to differentiate them from others.[13]
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_surnames)

So, if you don't own a named piece of property, use your fishing boat. Live in a landlocked rural area? How 'bout your pickup truck?

[creagdhubh]

You beat me to it.

There's a pretty good Wikipedia overview with information on Scottish naming conventions that might give people some ideas for distinguishing themselves. For instance, this bit on "To-names":



So, if you don't own a named piece of property, use your fishing boat. Live in a landlocked rural area? How 'bout your pickup truck?

Precisely right, Dale! We have a chap in the Clan Macpherson Association who goes by the name, Ruaridh Mor for "Big Rory," which is true, since he is in fact a rather large man. There's also a chap named Duncan Ruadh for "Red Duncan," which is also true, since he has ginger hair.

[saharris]

what is a "to-name"?

[Nathan]

Nicknames or to-names are very common in Cape Breton. There are individual nicknames. John "The Mountain" MacNeil, Rory Dubh MacDonald, Silver Donald Cameron... The practice is so widespread that nicknames often totally replace a person's given name. My grandfather's given name "William Robert" became "Eube" (pronounced Yob) because his baby brother couldn't say Robert and said "Yobert". When he passed, if we had put "William Robert" in the newspaper, nobody would have come to the funeral.

Some folks without nicknames use two names to cut down on confusion between the amount of people with the same name. So....

John Alex MacDonald, John Dan MacDonald, John Angus MacDonald, John Ranald MacDonald and John Hector MacDonald...

In addition to that, we have family nicknames, especially among the MacDonalds, that are sometimes based on a funny story or unique characteristic. It's a good way to find out if you're related to "those MacDonalds" or "those other MacNeils"...

In our case, we're called the "Bishop" MacDonalds. My great-grandfather Angus J. MacDonald had a very fancy chair when he moved to Port Morien Cape Breton from Antigonish. Antigonish is where the RC Bishop sits for the whole area so his neighbors saw the chair and said, "Here comes proud Angus, the Bishop" and we've been the Bishops ever since.

We also had the Pots, the Skin-the-Doors, or sometimes it was a matter of being called after a local patriarch, "He's one of the John Alec MacDonalds".

When my family first arrived from Scotland, we were one of the only local Clanranald families who came from Lewis instead of Skye or Uist or Lochaber so they called us the "Lewis MacDonalds" to distinguish it.

[creagdhubh]

Well explained, Nathan.

[Geoff Withnell]

Such nicknames are fairly common in the military in some units. I was know as Big Red by my squad, since I am of a fair size, and back then had red hair. I guess here that would be Mor Ruadh.

[saharris]

I once considered seeing if I could get Lyon to recognize my ancestral TD, "McMillan of the South Half of Section Six Township 21 South Range 4 East," but thought better of it.

I suppose that could be Harris of 42°18'19"N 71°47'29"W

[TheOfficialBren]

I am also well-acquainted with this convention. My grandfather was known as "fat" his entire life (his given name was William, no idea why they called him "Fat"--he wasn't, nor was he especially skinny). Our family often is distinguished by others with our surname by my grandfather's to-name.

[xman]

Some folks without nicknames use two names to cut down on confusion between the amount of people with the same name. So....

At my BIL's wedding about seventy guests were listed by nicknames, a common S.American practice, and it took at least an extra half hour to seat everyone.

In our case, we're called the "Bishop" MacDonalds.

And some are a wee bit more Bishop than most. ;)

Morien

A name I tried to float for our son, but she didn't 'get' it.