Isaac Sutherland

[ostler]

The Highland naming pattern is all well and good, but it only fits a few of my Highland families.

[heaths]

Well I have a spare William, A James and an Elizabeth....not knowing the Grandparents...blast what is it with this man? Is he hiding?  On his wedding there is an Alex?? Gunn day labourer from Dunn as a witness and her father Robert Buchanan

[JenClark]

Hey Bryce 
Wouldn't surprise me that your family don't fit the mould either!!

It is only to be used as a guide, it has helped me out in some fun and interesting situations, so I am sticking to it...must be the Scot in me 

Alex Gunn may be worth chasing, perhaps he leads to your Catherine Gunn......don't think he is hiding mate....just far too many Gunn's and Sutherland's up that way...why couldn't he have had a much more individual name eh?

[ostler]

At least his forename wasn't John or William!

[JenClark]

True!!! But Isaac isn't helping either 


This is what Scotland's People say about the naming pattern:

Traditional naming patterns
Scots often named children by following a simple set of rules:

1st son named after father's father
2nd son named after mother's father
3rd son named after father
1st daughter named after mother's mother
2nd daughter named after father's mother
3rd daughter named after mother

Although this was not universally applied (some families adhered strictly, others “dabbled” and still others ignored it), it can still be helpful in determining the correct entry when confronting the relative lack of information in the OPR’s. It can also give rise to great confusion when eight children of the same family in a small parish name their offspring according to convention! The use of traditional naming patterns gradually declined during the 19th century.

The application of naming conventions and the general desire to ensure that a family forename perpetuated through the generations, sometimes led to duplication of forenames within a family. For example, where a family wished to adhere strictly to the traditional naming pattern, and both grandfathers bore the same forename, that name might be given to more than child. If a child died young, parents might name a later child after the dead sibling. In unfortunate cases, the name may have been used more than once.

Sometimes there appears to be no rhyme or reason to the naming: a child might be named after the minister, the midwife, the doctor, an employer, an influential personage in the community or a close friend, who might appear as a witness to the birth. Witnesses are not always given in OPR entries, but where they are, sometimes (as in Dundee) you will find their relationship to child, if any, noted, e.g. “Charles Jobson, grandfather”, “Mrs Janet Speid, father’s mother”.



http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?561


If you want to check out their other hints and tips  

[heaths]

Would naming his 4th child after himself mean anything?

[heaths]

Hey Bryce 
Wouldn't surprise me that your family don't fit the mould either!!

It is only to be used as a guide, it has helped me out in some fun and interesting situations, so I am sticking to it...must be the Scot in me 

Alex Gunn may be worth chasing, perhaps he leads to your Catherine Gunn......don't think he is hiding mate....just far too many Gunn's and Sutherland's up that way...why couldn't he have had a much more individual name eh?

A grandfather perhaps...with a Catherine who married a John Sutherland......might work...

[JenClark]

Alex Gunn could be an uncle or a cousin too, but worth chasing I think....

Plenty of mine named children after themselves after they had used up the parents......so his third son being named Isaac actually fits with the pattern described by Scotland's People. No Margaret though...which is interesting as they had 3 girls....

[heaths]

I will go hunting at scotlands people tomorrow.

Thanks for the good tips....if I strike out I will put him on the back burner....

I am getting some on Ancestry who want to connect an Isaac from Orkney......

tomorrow.