Gaelic names policy

We will:

support and facilitate the Scottish Executive’s initiative in the promotion of Scottish culture through the appropriate
depiction of Gaelic names;
ensure joined-up geography by participating in Gaelic working groups, committees and Gaelic medium education
as appropriate;
endeavour to achieve consistency in the depiction of names within each mapping series and across its range of
products;
undertake to incorporate the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Glossary Project (Faclair na Pàrlamaid) in
May 2001 and thereafter adopt the Gaelic orthographic conventions agreed by the Scottish Qualifi cations Authority;
ensure that common usage and evidence provided by historical form are both considered when defi ning the spelling
and/or depiction of a name;
seek to gain proper authority, through a broadly accepted standards-setting body, for the depiction of Gaelic
names, but in the case of disagreement retain final editorship to ensure cartographically acceptable mapping and
products;
continue the procedure of gathering and authenticating names by involvement and consultation with local
communities and local authority Gaelic officers pending the possible formation of a standards committee;
work with key institutions, societies and individuals to ensure consistency of Gaelic name depiction; and
allocate resources to facilitate our understanding of Gaelic names in relation to the impact and importance on
Scottish culture.

We will not:

be the Authority for Gaelic names; or
convert to Gaelic any existing anglicised names on the authority of any one individual.

For further information, please refer to our full Gaelic names policy (PDF), available in both English and Gaelic.

You might also be interested in our guide to Gaelic, Scots and Scandinavian influences of place names in Britain.

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