Fòram na Gàidhlig

Hello! My grandparents are Scottish but do not speak Gaelic, and I have been asking them if surnames are spelt differently in English and Scottish Gaelic and they can't seem to agree whether it is or isn't. Specifically, my name is Kayla Dinwoodie. Would that be spelt differently in Scottish Gaelic or the same?
Thank you!

Dinwoodie is not a Gaelic name as far as I know, so you would just keep it as it is.

In case this helps:

Surname Database: Dinwoodie Last Name Origin
www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Dinwoodie
This is a Scottish name of territorial origin from the lands or barony of Dinwoodie in the parish of Applegarth, in Dumfriesshire. The original etymology of the place name is uncertain, possibly it derives from the Welsh words 'din', forest and 'gwydd' - shrubs or bushes.

So I would agree, not a Gaelic name (unlike e.g. MacLeòid, Caimbeul), just leave it as it is.

If you look at the BBC Gaelic News website, you'll notice names of politicians etc remain in their English (or other language) forms, unless it's a name with a standard Gaelic equivalent.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/naidheachdan/40276451

Many surnames now considered Gaelic names were not Gaelic originally.

MacLeòid was not a Gaelic name, until the Gaelicisation of the Norse settlers. Neither of course were all the Norman origin names such as the Siosalaich, Frisealaich, Moirich, Fearghasdanaich, Moireasdanaich, Stiùbhartaich and so on.

Some modern-day native Gaels whose non-Gaelic surname sometimes appears in Gaelic form includes the notable Dòmhnall Mèic, (Dòmhnall Meek).

Also, many of the last native speakers of mainland Scottish Gaelic dialects had non-Gaelic surnames. I have a collection of oral tradition stories from Perthshire, and informants' surnames(both men and women) include names like "Scott", "Cumming" (Cuimeanach), Irvine, Keir, Lothian, Lowe, Reid (Raoid), ROse, Robertson (Robasdan), Small, Williamson.

Yes, but you can't just take any old name and suddenly Gaelicise it in a way that's going to mean anything to a native speaker.

Tell that to ScotRail

Fearghasdan doesn't mean 'anything' to a native speaker who doesn't know that it comes from ..'son. But it's a well-established Gaelic name.

conmaol wrote: Tell that to ScotRail

Or Facebook...

Any name can have a Gaelic pronunciation as much as it can an English pronunciation. Do names always have to mean somthing? No. A bheil mi coma co-dhiù? Tha.