THE NAMING PATTERNS OF THE SCOTS BEFORE THE 20th CENTURY

When searching for ancestors naming patterns can be a useful aid.
However, one must bear in mind, that these rules were not rigidly adhered to at all times.

 CHILD  NAMED AFTER
 Eldest son  Paternal grandfather
 Second son  Maternal grandfather
 Third son  Father
 Eldest daughter  Maternal grandmother
 Second daughter  Paternal grandmother
 Third daughter  Mother

Of course, not all people followed the above pattern strictly, e.g. if a mother died in childbirth, and there were subsequent offspring of a second marriage ... or if there were twins ... or if one child died young and another was given the same name when it was born subsequently ...

MAIDEN NAME
Women in Scotland never lost their maiden name e.g. in court cases they would always be Mary Brown (maiden surname). In death registration they were always indexed under married and maiden name (if maiden name was known to the informant!) On death of husband sometimes a widow would revert to her maiden name ... not common but more usual than you might think. On all legal documents i.e. wills, testaments, contracts, it would be very unusual NOT to have both of her names i.e. "This is the last testament of Mary Brown Smith currently residing at ...." etc. and if she had been married twice - or thrice - it would say Mary Brown Smith or Macdonald or Hamilton ..... etc.