Name of the Week: Finlay

 

Origin:

The Anglicised form of the Gaelic name Findláech (modern Fionnlagh), from the Old Irish find and láech. The Old Irish find means "white, bright, blessed," ultimately deriving from the Proto-Celtic -windo "white, shining," and became fionn in Irish and Scots Gaelic.  So pervasive was this element in the ancient Celtic world that its cognates are numerous: Welsh gwyn, Gaulish windo, Breton gwenn. Names deriving from -windo are also prevalent, especially those connect with the divine, suggesting that the name was once attributed to an ancient Celtic solar deity.  Fionn mac Cumhaill is a great hero of Irish legend, whose fame also appears in Scottish and Manx folklore. Interestingly, his story shares many parallels with a Welsh deity, Gwyn ap Nudd, with whom he shares a cognate name.  Gwyn ap Nudd's divinity later became euhemerized in Welsh folk-lore, and evidence suggests that Fionn too may once have been a god.** Another cognate name, Vindonnus, can be found in Gaul, attributed to a solar deity. The element láech was adopted into Old Irish from the Latin laicus "layman" i.e. 'a nonprofessional, or one distinct from the church.' At some point the term láech came to mean "one who carries arms," and this particularly applied to those who were member of a fian (a war band made up of landless freemen who acted semi-independently) and, by extension, later simply meant "warrior, hero."  It could also be a title: Cúanu mac Cailchíne, the legendary king of Fernmag, was known by the title Laech Liathmuine [the hero of Liathmuine].

Usage:

The name Findláech was used in Ireland and Scotland from at least the 10th century, though undoubtedly it was older than that.  Findláech mac Ruaidrí (c.975-1020) was Mormaer (ruler) of Moray and the father of the famous King Macbeth (Mac bethad mac Findláech d.1057). In the Book of Leinster (1070) his name is spelled Findlaech (1070 C.E.), and in Marianus Scotus (c.1080 C.E.) it is recorded as Finnloech. He even appears in the Icelandic manuscript, Flateyjarbók (1387) in the Orkneyinga Saga as the Scottish earl who challenged Sigurd the Stout of Orkney. In this his name is translated as Finnleikr, which the Norsemen would have understood as finn (a Finn, Lapp) leikr (game, play, fight).  It was certainly used elsewhere. The People of Medieval Scotland database has citations for thirteen men named Finnláech or Finnlóeg from 1240 to 1325.  By the 16th century, the name was still in use in Scotland, now more commonly anglicised in the spellings Finlay, Findlay, Finley and Fynley. By this time, the surname forms Finlay, Finley, Findlay, Findley and Findlow were in use, which explains some rare use in England.  19th century census records, comparing those in Scotland and England, show how weighted the use of Finlay was in Scotland, especially in the Highlands, though it increased in use in both countries over the century: click to enlarge      Finlay    Finley     Findlay    Sc  En  Sc En  Sc  En 1841  1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1070  1071 1101 1026 1286 1323 1360 17  36 53 61 90   112 115 95  103 60 96 25 64 78 23 33  34 49 8 24 46 85  118 129 136 279 270 308 0   1   0 7 18 8 12 Data from the Surname Atlas (right) shows that in 1881 the majority of Finlays lived in Ross & Cromarty, followed by Inverness.  It is perhaps no surprise then that by 1900, Finlay ranked #75 in Scotland for boys. As with all popular turn-of-the-century names, by 1950 it had fallen below the top 100.  From 1974-1990 in Scotland, Finlay ranked between #131 and #271 (4-18 births in any given year). After that, it began to rise gradually, hitting the top 100 again in 1998 at #80 (84 births). It continued to rise year on year, peaking at #12 in 2007. In the same period, Findlay moved in to the top 200, but has not yet reached the top 100. Finley is the less common spelling, ranking between #150-#300.  Rankings in Scotland in 2014 were as follows: Finlay #15 (267 births), Findlay #129 (48 births), Finley #160 (37 births). Finlay and Finley both ranked #1534 (1 birth) for girls.  In England and Wales, both Finlay and Finley were on a steep upward curve from 1996, both entering the top 100 in 2002 (#77 and #91 respectively).  At first, Finlay was the more common spelling, but that all changed in 2007, when Finlay peaked at #59 (1343 births) and Finley rose ahead to #46 (1643 births).  Since then, Finlay has been declining while Finley peaked at #34 in 2011, 2012 and 2013.  Rankings in England and Wales in 2014 were as follows: Finley #36 (2115 births), Finlay #99 (611 births), Finnley #338 (133 births), Fynley #988 (29 births), Findlay #1144, Finley #2862 (8 births). In combined spellings, the name ranks #26.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Findláech mac Ruaidrí (c.975-1020), earl of Moray. * Fionnlagh MacCailein (d. 1419), Scottish bishop. * Finley Peter Dunne (1867–1936), American writer and humorist. * Finlay Currie (1878-1968), Scottish actor. * Finlay Freundlich (1885-1964), astronomer. * Finlay Jackson (1901-1941), Cricketer and Rugby Union player. Contemporary: * Finley Quaye (b. 1974), Scottish musician. * Finlay Mickel (b.1977), Scottish skier.

Variants:

Fionnlagh (Irish), Finley, Findlay, Finnley

Pronunciation:

FIN-lee [key]

Possible Diminutives:

Finn, Flynn, Lee

Sibling Names:

Niamh     Isla     Darcey     Esme     Ava     Poppy  Blake     Ewan     Archie     Logan    Rory     Aidan

Name Lists:

Slim Softies

 

If you like Finlay you may also like:    Finlo, Harley, Fraser, Dylan, Stanley, Lewis, Brodie, Callan, Rhys, Finnian

 

Thanks to Rosamund for requesting this post.