Name of the Week

Other Scottish islands — Isla, Skye, Iona, Harris, Arran — are 
seeing plenty of use at the moment. Why not consider Ailsa,
with its nod to classic Elizabeth? 

 

Origin:

Ailsa Craig is the Anglicised name of a Scottish island. Craig/Creag literally means "rock" in Scots Gaelic while Ailsa comes from the Vikings, who named the island Alfsigesey meaning "Alfsigr's island". The name Alfsigr derives from the Norse alf "elf" and sigr "victory." It is a cognate of the Old English name Ælfsige, which is also the origin of the surname Elsie, Elsey, Elcy.  Ailsa Craig is sometimes reconstructed as Aillse Creag in Scots Gaelic which literally means "fairy rock". This, however, is more likely a later Gaelicised rendering, rather than the origin itself. The official Scots Gaelic form of the island's name is Allasa, though it is most commonly referred to as Creag Ealasaid meaning "Ealasaid's rock" or sometimes Ealasaid a' Chuain "Ealasaid of the sea." Ealasaid is the Scots Gaelic cognate of Elizabeth and Ailsa has, on occasion, been used as an Anglicised form. Alternatively, in the Irish legend Buile Shuibhne (The Madness of Sweeney) the island is referred to as Carraig Alasdair "Alasdair's Rock."

Usage:

The island is known for being a sanctuary for many different species of coastal birds, and for hundreds of years has been owned by the Kennedy family. Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassilis (1770—1846) was created the Marquess of Ailsa in 1831 and the title "Lord Ailsa" has been passed down ever since.  Records in Britain show that Ailsa has been used as a given name since the early 19th century, though only very occasionally. The 1841 UK census lists 10 Ailsas: 9 in Scotland, 1 in England and there were still only 10 by the 1881 census, though this time more were living in England.  When the acclaimed Victorian actress Dame Ellen Terry visited Ailsa Craig with her son she is reported to have said "What a good stage name!...A pity you can't have it, Ted [her son Edward]. I shall give it to Edy [her daughter Edith]."* When her children were baptised as teenagers, her daughter was named Edith Ailsa Geraldine in honour of the island, and both children also adopted Craig as a surname. Edy herself became an actress like her mother, assuming the name "Ailsa Craig" when she first took to the stage. She later dropped it in favour of Edith to avoid confusion with another actress who had also taken Ailsa Craig as a stage name.  At the beginning of the 19th century, only a handful of Ailsas were registered each decade in England and Scotland. The turning point came in the 1890s when at least three births were registered every year in both countries. At this time, Ailsa Craig's stage career was becoming more prominent* so this may have been an influence. Some girls even had Ailsa Craig as their full name; in these cases, inspiration may have come from the either the island or the actress. Whichever way, the late 19th century was a period when Celtic names in general came into fashion so Ailsa would have been among good company. From the 1890s the name gradually increased in England and Wales (e.g. 1895: 13 births, 1902: 19 births, 1910: 19 births, 1916: 25 births, 1921: 32 births, 1928: 30 births), plateauing from the 1920s to the 1950s with 30 to 40 births per year. A similar trend appears in Scottish records, with Ailsa being used much more frequently from the 1890s onwards increasing in usage every decade until it reached a plateau from the 1970s. Ailsa has never been in the Top 100 in either Scotland or England and Wales, but it has had consistant usage. In 2005 , Ailsa ranked #139 with 33 births in Scotland. It was #144 (32 births) in 2006, #136 (36 births) in 2007, #171 (26 births) in 2008, #143 (34 births) in 2009, #175 (26 births) in 2010 and #145 (29 births) in 2011.  In England and Wales, Ailsa has had a count of between 20-41 births from 1996 to 2010. In 2011 the name ranked #1196 with 27 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Edith Ailsa Geraldine Craig (1869—1947), actress, theatre director, producer and early pioneer of the women's suffrage movement. * Ailsa Mellon Bruce (1901—1969), American socialite. * Ailsa Tanner (1923—2001), Scottish art historian and researcher Contemporary: * Ailsa Piper (b.1959), Australian television actress. Literature and Media: * Ailsa Stewart, long-standing character in the Australian soap Home and Away. * Ailsa Povey, character in children's novel A Pack of Lies (1988) by Geraldine McCaughrean.

Variants:

Allasa

Pronunciation:

AYL-sə (common) IE-lə (alternate)  [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Ace, Aylie

Sibling Names:

Mirren     Elspeth     Iona     Morven     Esme     Lois     Angus     Fraser     Rory      Struan     Murray     Declan

Name Lists:

Cool Celtic

 

If you like Ailsa you may also like:   Elsie, Aalin, Isla, Eilidh, Rosa, Eloise, Maris, Liesa, Orla, Alba

 

Thanks to Ailsa for requesting her own name as this week's NotW.