Caithness Origin

[Firnand]

Hello everyone I'm a young Highschool Student From Canada who's last name happens to be Caithness. I'm trying to trace my family's roots but every search i have tried leads my to the Caithness county in northern Scotland. I was wondering if anyone knows how the county of Caithness got its name?

[Jeemag_USA]

Welcome to the Org.

The actual origin of the name is a little sketchy and I don't think it is known for sure wether it is Pictish or Norse, or a Norse corruption of a pictish name. The Gaelic word for Caithness is Gallaibh which means land of the norse. Most online descriptions say it means horn or nose of 'Cait" but wether the Cait refers to Cat or not I don't know. Cataibh is the gaelic word for Sutherland which is the next county??

[DarkAngel]

Welcome to the Org!!

[canuck]

Hello everyone I'm a young Highschool Student From Canada who's last name happens to be Caithness. I'm trying to trace my family's roots but every search i have tried leads my to the Caithness county in northern Scotland. I was wondering if anyone knows how the county of Caithness got its name?

Firnand, welcome to the org.

I cannot help you with the source of the name. Jeemag has given you some interesting stuff though.

In the mid1800s there was a huge migration of Sutherland and Caithness people to the area which became Winnipeg.

Good luck with your search.

[fred]

Legend has it that Caithness was named after the Catti, a Germanic tribe who settled here after being pushed out of their homeland and then Holland by the Romans.

[helenwyler]

Welcome Firnand.

I've just done a quick search on www.scotlandspeople for parish records of people born with the surname Caithness 1790-1854 (random sample), and came up with the following results:

Caithness 0
Sutherland 0
Orkney 15
Inverness 5
Argyll 0
Ross & Cromerty 9
Aberdeen 35
Moray 9
Angus 294

Have you tried looking at migration records if you have any dates for your ancestors?

Good luck!

Helen

[JAWS]

Oh dear fred, don't tell me you are saying that Caithnessians are just a bunch of old Anglo-Saxons?

Welcome aboard Firnand, I hope you can find the answer to your question because I find such things quite fascinating.

A quick check reveals that the Keiths are believed to have derived their name from the Catti tribe as did as did a confederation of Clans under the name of Clan Chattan (Clan of the Cats). Burke’s Peerage, a fairly reliable source, claims that the connection between the Catti and the Keiths is simply an antient myth.

I am inclined to think that fred’s explanation that the name Caithness is derived from the Catti Tribe moving across the North Sea into the area is about the most realistic one I have heard. I suspect that tying down the exact origin of the name is likely to prove difficult.
The north of Scotland, until the invasions of the Scots in the west and the Norse in the north was mainly occupied by the Picts and I understand that they left no written records and their language is unknown. Add to that the fact that until about a thousand years ago the history of the area was not written down but only passed on by word of mouth and recorded in some cases centuries later it is always open to dispute.

Well, that’s an Englishman’s version so come on you Caithnessians, lets have some local knowledge and give Firnand some proper information!

[Tristan]

who's last name happens to be Caithness.

I thought only the earl could take on the name Caithness or is that just him known as Caithness without the Mr?

[Rheghead]

Oh dear fred, don't tell me you are saying that Caithnessians are just a bunch of old Anglo-Saxons?

I think they are a load of old norwegians rather than Anglo saxons, bit like myself.

[trinkie]

Welcome -

I have read ........ Kataness - 'Nose of the Cat' from the Norse description of the shape of the county

Best wishes
Trinkie