Etymology
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Scots Gaelic: | An Dubh Sgeir | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
| Scots Gaelic: | Buaidh no Bàs | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
| Scots Gaelic: | Cnoc Haco | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
| Scots Gaelic: | Creag Bhàn | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
| Scots Gaelic: | Creideas Dòchas is Carthannas | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
| Scots Gaelic: | gamhainn | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
| Scots Gaelic: | Gamhna Gioghach | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
| Scots Gaelic: | geodha | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
| Scots Gaelic: | Gioghach | |
| Pronunciation: | ||
The Hebrides have been occupied by the speakers of at least four languages since the Iron Age, and many of the names of these islands have more than one possible meaning as a result. Many modern authorities hold that the name "Gigha" is probably derived either from the Norse Guðey or from Gud-øy, meaning either "good island" or "God island". The Norse historical text Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar explicitly calls the island Guðey.
Despite this, Keay and Keay (1994) and Haswell-Smith (2004) suggest the Gaelic name is derived instead from Gjáey, meaning "island of the geo" or "cleft". However, Norse gjá normally shows up in Gaelic in the form of geodha. Czerkawaska (2006) also notes that the isle is called "Gug" in a charter of 1309 and also appears as "Gega" on some old maps and speculates that a possible pre-Norse derivation is from the Gaelic Sheela na Gig, a female fertility symbol. Haswell-Smith (2004) also offers the possibility of Gydha's isle after the Norse female name.
A Gigha resident is a Gioghach, also nicknamed a gamhainn ("stirk"). Although the most widespread pronunciation of the Gaelic name Giogha is, the Southern dialects preserve the fricative: in Kintyre and in Argyllshire.
Read more about this topic: Gigha
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