Register now

to receive FREE search credits to trace your ancestry on Scotlandspeople.gov.uk, and our quarterly enewsletter with exclusive travel deals, exciting events and travel tips.

I'd like to register now >
Edinburgh Castle from the Scott Monument

I understand that there was a standard naming pattern for Christian, or 'given', names in Scotland. What was this?

The following 'rules' were widely, though not universally adopted:
- Eldest son: after paternal grandfather
- Eldest daughter: after maternal grandmother
- Second son: after maternal grandfather
- Second daughter: after paternal grandmother
- Third son: after father
- Third daughter: after mother
Continental Airlines May 08