Scottish Name?.....

marva · Post by **marva** » Wed May 03, 2006 1:36 am

Can anyone tell me the answer to my puzzle. Real name is Agnes, but had been called Una all her life, even on her immigration papers in 1935, at age 8. Is Una a Scottish name with a special meaning. I find no one with either name going back.

Thrall · Post by **Thrall** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:13 am

Hi Marva, Una seems to be a recognised Scottish name, see
http://www.behindthename.com/nm/u.php
which is also used in Nordic, and Germanic countries where it is said to come from English. Apart from meaning "lamb" or "hunger" in Irish, it can also be linked to the meaning to "dwell", "be satisfied with" and also the Latin number "one". There was one I knew at school a long time since....

You pays yer money...............

Thrall
JJ

CatrionaL · Post by **CatrionaL** » Wed May 03, 2006 7:13 am

Hi Marva

Una is certainly not a name I've often come across, but I do have a Scottish friend whose given name is Una, born in the 1930s.

Regards

Catriona

Post by **AndrewP** » Wed May 03, 2006 7:20 am

Chambers Dictionary suggests two possibilities for Una.

1) from Spenser's heroine, personification of the truth
2) possibly from the Irish name Oona(gh)

All the best,

AndrewP

Falkyrn · Post by **Falkyrn** » Wed May 03, 2006 10:15 am

Origin uncertain but thought to come from Irish [or Scottish] Gaelic. In Irish Gaelic, úan means "lamb". It is not thought to originate from the Latin feminine for "one". The association with Unity is probably fabricated.

The FreeREG list of Gaelic equivalents gives Hanna and Winifred as equivalents of Gaelic Una. Also, the Clan MacLean website suggests that Una is the Gaelic equivalent of Ann/Anna which are generally seen as closely related to Hannah

from http://www.whatsinaname.net/
JJ

garibaldired · Post by **garibaldired** » Wed May 03, 2006 11:46 am

Origin uncertain but thought to come from Irish [or Scottish] Gaelic. In Irish Gaelic, úan means "lamb". It is not thought to originate from the Latin feminine for "one". The association with Unity is probably fabricated.

And Agnes has its roots in the Latin lamb - agnus.

Meg

nelmit · Post by **nelmit** » Wed May 03, 2006 9:27 pm

I don't know anyone personally but remember these two -
Una Stubbs and Una Mclean both actresses.

Annette M

Post by **paddyscar** » Thu May 04, 2006 2:06 am

Oona O'Neill was the daughter of Irish playwright Eugene and the 4th wife of Charlie Chaplin.

Frances

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:05 am

"Agnes
Derived from the Greek word "agneia" meaning "pure and chaste". Agnes Dunbar held Dunbar Castle from the invading English in the 14th century. The name is sometimes used in reverse as "Senga" and often became "Nancy". It became very popular in Scotland in the early 20th century, rising to 7th most popular in 1935, but is outside the top 100 in 1998."

"Una
Una is the Latin for the number "one" but probably came to Scotland from the Irish Gaelic "Oonagh". In the poem "Faerie Queene" by Edmund Spencer, written in 1596, Una is a heroine who escapes from a fiery dragon and marries the Red Cross Knight. The poem was read and admired in Scotland, giving a boost to the use of the name. In more recent times, Oonagh, the wife of Charlie Chaplin and the actress Una Stubbs have kept it in the public eye."

from: http://www.rampantscotland.com/forename ... _index.htm

She may have just preferred to use Una?

Nina

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Thu May 04, 2006 7:44 am

Although Oonagh and Una are names in their own right, Una is also commonly used as the shortened version of Unity. I've never seen an Agnes become Una and can only suggest that it was a pet name that stuck or a middle name that was preferred. My brother-in-law is Alexander Stuart McK but, almost from birth, has always been called Stuart.