Allan Campbell, who grew up in the north of Skye, said the names were an important part of his cultural identity.
“I think the patronymic names are really interesting to those who are interested in their own history, and I think that it’s really important in terms of the language and the culture we have as Gaels,” he said.
He said some names were based on a person’s trade, such as a blacksmith, while others were clever word play.
When he was a schoolboy he was nicknamed Volt because his initials, AC, are an abbreviation for the electrical term “alternating current”. He is still known by some people just by his nickname.
During his education he stayed in a hostel at Portree High School and patronymics and nicknames were used almost like a secret code.
He said: “In the dorm at night, when the lights went out, and the boys were talking about what had happened – maybe of some sort of mischief – they wouldn’t be naming people by their real names because quite often the masters would be listening at the doors.”
Genealogist Calum MacNeil said patronymic names were popular when he was growing up in Nask, a small community in Barra.
He said: “Almost nobody that lived in Nask originally came from Nask.
“They came from different places on the island. Because of that, we used their patronymic names.”
Mr MacNeil said nicknames could be potentially contentious.
“There were some who were happy with the nickname they were given, and others that weren’t,” he said.
“There were also some that were happy with it but maybe their families weren’t happy with it.”
