Scots Blog
The Scots language has a rich tradition, and abounds with marvellous words. This blog will regularly show a different Scots or Gaelic word with its English equivalent. I hope that you will enjoy them as much as I do!
Linda Gilmore Sutherland
SUTHARLANACH
by Francois Sutherland - 20:25 on 26 September 2025
The surname Sutherland comes from the Old Norse words "suðr" or "suthr" meaning "south" and "land," collectively translating as "southern land". This may seem paradoxical since Sutherland is located in the northern Highlands of Scotland, but the name referred to lands south of the Orkney and Shetland Norse colonies. It was used to describe the earldom and later the county of Sutherland, adopted by Norse settlers who controlled the area during the Viking Age.
Comment from Alan Sutherland-Stevens at 21:04 on 01 January 2026.
Paternal family of my Sutherland ancestor married an English widow who kept her late husband's surname of Stevens. This happened in the mid 19 Century in India.
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