Many of the names of farms and crofts in the district are descriptive and were nearly all derived from their location. Again, many of the spellings have changed but examples of some of the derivations, taken from Matheson’s ‘Place Names of Elginshire’, are:-
Ardoch
Ard – a height : Achadh – a field
giving ‘the field on the height’.
Auchness
Achadh – a field : Eas – a cascade or waterfall
giving ‘the field beside the waterfall’.
Aultahuish
Ault – a burn : Yuish – fir tree
giving ‘the burn beside the fir wood’.
Ballachraggan
Baile – a house : Craggan – a little rock.
giving ‘the house by the little rock’.
Bodnamuir
Bod – dwelling : Muir – heath
giving ‘the house on the moor’.
Branchill
Bronga – a mineral well : Hill – hill
giving ‘the mineral well on the hill’.
Brockintore
Broc – a badger : Tor – a hill
giving ‘the hill of the badgers’.
Clashdon
Clais – a deep trench or furrow : don – added to emphasise
Coldhome
Ceald – cold. Applied to houses in a windy situation, often exposed to the north.
Coleburn
Coll – hazel
giving ‘the hazel burn’.
Connachie
Ceann – head : Achadh – field or plain
giving ‘the house at the head of the plain’.
Craigroy
Craig – a rock : Ruadh – red
giving ‘the place of, or at, the red rock’.
Dallas
Dale – valley : uis – water
giving ‘the watered valley’ or ‘valley of water.
Edinvale
Eudan – hill brow : Baile – a house
giving ‘the house at the brow of the hill’.
Hatton
From the Gaelic ‘Aitonn’ meaning gorse or juniper
Kellas
Kehle – a defile – Eas – river or stream
giving ‘the gorge or defile of the river’.
Lochty
The old name was probably ‘Lochdubh’ – the black stream (hence the current name which is the Black Burn).
Mulundy
Magh – flat : Lund – a grove where ancient Druids observed religious rites.
Rhininver
Reidhe – a hillside stretch or a mountain flat – Inbhir or inver – river mouth or confluence of two streams.
Rhynagoup
Reidhe – a hillside : Gob – a beak or snout
Rimichie
Reidhe – hillside : Maigheach – hares
Scottackleys
Sgotan – a small farm : Ley – a meadow
Slackend
Slochd – a den or hollow : End – end
giving ‘the house at the end of the hollow’.
Tombreck
Tom – a knoll : Breac – speckled
giving ‘the house on the speckled or spotted hill’.
Tomcork
Tom – a round knoll : Corc – oats
giving ‘the hill where the oats are grown’.
Torchastle
Tor – a mound : Castel – a fortified place.
giving ‘the fortified place on the mound or conical hill’
Torwinnie
Tor – a mound or hill : Caithne – a strawberry tree
giving ‘the house on the hill with the strawberry tree’.
(The latter is not native to the area and was believed to have been introduced from the Continent by monks.)
Wangie
Wang – a strip of land
