A website that goes a bit deeper into the place names is available here Fife Place Names
I apologise to anyone who has taken offence at any of my pronounciations these were done in 1997 when this site started, after asking many people their interpretations. The OCH or AUCH in placenames was written as OCK as many of my overseas friends and people i have researched for could not get their tongue around OCH or AUCH much like LOCH and LOCK.*The original web page which has been copied by others and put online.
The information been researched by myself from several sources and the pronunciations are by local people from different areas of Fife.
Please give me a bit credit for time and effort and say where you got the information when using in Family Trees or Web Sites. TM
Thanks for your work and dedication, a friend sent me photos of Dunino and I was puzzled as to the unusual ending of the name. Keep up the good work. I also have had work pirated, a whole book no less, but at least they kept my name. My publishers were unable to help… Best regards
I have been checking more of old books on Fife and in the 1857 Gazeteer of Fife, this first paragraph about Dunino might help you.
DUNINO
This is a parish in Fife; usually pronounced DUNUNIE; said to derive its name from a nunnery on Dunino Law; though I entirely concur in opinion with the talented Mr Leighton, who considers it to mean ” a fortified hill.” TM.
I believed Auchtermuchty meant ” The land of the boar”…What I learned was when Royalty were in residence at Falkland Palace this land around ”Muchty” was used for their favourite sport of boar hunting. When I bought ”The Queen’s Hotel ” in Auchtermuchty I renamed it ”The Boars Head” 1972/78. Great times !!
My dad david Mcphail played his accordion and he had his dance band at the queens both my sisters got married at the queens hotel, most times my dad played with his band at the queens hotel, I was too young to go I was about 12 years old when my sister got married at the queens hotel , and my other sister I was only 4 years old we have a black and white family wedding photograph taken at the queens hotel I’m janice mcphail , now stewart .
Auchtermuchty, you say the auch word not och , quite easy once you know how, in the Falkland history of the Tudor kings and queens who resided at Falkland Palace went out hunting to kill the boars for food, we had Wolves and lynx , and Wildcats , the old post office in Falkland my husband malcolm says had a glass case with the last wild cat shot in Falkland he remembers that xxxxxxxx
Strathmiglo was divided in 2 one side the South of the river eden the other the North, the river was never called the eden it was called the Miglo. Xxxxxx
muc (pronounced moochk, with the ch pronounced as in loch) is Scots Gaelic for a pig – a’ mhuc (pronounced a vooc) is the pig – mucan (pronounced moocan) is pigs – na mhucan (pronounced a voocan) is the pigs Anyway, you can see where the much in muchty came from (though pronounced differently)
I’m assuming from the list of how to pronounce these names that the administrators of this page are not Scottish, e.g. “ock-ter-muckty” should be och-ter-muchty. The same rule applies to all the names containing the letters “ch”.
Locals also pronounce Anstruther as “Enster”.
Peter, I have that listed as Enster under name meanings.
This has been online since 1997, my own personal web site.
Wrong Peter born and bred in Fife, with relatives in Muchty. I asked several people many years ago to say the names and I posted what their verdicts were at the time. I will alter the saying as you request but as others have said it really depends where you come from.
I’ve no problem with people saying “ock”, I see now why you have put it that way but just thought if you weren’t Scottish yourself, my explanations might have helped others. No offence taken or intended.
Peter no offence taken it is actually great that people like you comment and if any faults found or ideas to add things to my site, I can then amend or add, as it is my own personal site.
Peter Martin- it does say visitors and Scots
You missed Buckhaven(Buck-hyne) – “The name Buckhaven is probably from the Scots terms buck or bukk ‘to gush out’ and haven or ‘harbour'”
Thanks, Aidan, I have had this up 20 years and nobody has mentioned it before, my father in law was born there in 1914 as well.
I have put it on the page. TM
Please refer to http://fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk for most up-to-date and authoritative data based upon research by Dr Simon Taylor and Gilbert Màrkus,
Thanks
Tha mi air a bhith ag ionnsachadh gaelic airson beagan bhliadhnaichean. Bha mi airson ionnsachadh mu ainmean-àite. Tha mi air leth toilichte an làrach-lìn agad a lorg le ainmean Fìobha. Ailean
I have been learning gaelic for a few years. I am to learning about place names. I am delighted to find your website on Fife names. Alan
who in Gawds name wants tae know the origins o place names
Bridge of Alan……river crossing belonging to Wilfrid father of Eck an alternative to Alan
some people say the brig runs over the river Alan, a tributary of the Fifth or is it the fourth
Ben Eighhe………….progeny of Ben Hen, nice, when runny, with sojers
Sojer……man with a sword
What has happened to Windygates. It’s nowhere to be found on the list of Fife place names. I was trying to find out the origin today, just out of interest. Can someone please fill in this gap.
What has happened to Windygates. It’s nowhere to be found on the list of Fife place names. I was trying to find out the origin today, just out of interest. Can someone please fill in this gap.
ps No I haven’t posted this question before !
Check out this page for Windygates.
https://fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/search/?word=windygates&vol=all&parish=&cla=&gr=&certainty=&path=&altitude=&aspect=
What do the local people call Kilconquhar?
Not sure what locals call it but folk around most areas of Fife say (kin-nuck-ir)
What do local people call Kilconquhar
Buckhaven is actually Buckhynd
Kilconquhar is pronouced Kin-uch-er