Susanne Barding offers a fascinating insight into the naming practices of two small island societies - Berneray in the Outer Hebrides and Syðrugøta in the Faroe Islands.

She is exceptionally qualified to undertake this work. She is an anthropologist and has lived for an extended period in both societies, each of which has distinct bilingual cultures.

Susanne’s work highlights several key differences as well as many parallels, as she discusses how first names, last names, nicknames, and place names have been constructed, how they have changed over time, and how the relationship between the languages Gaelic/English and Faroese/Danish has affected naming practices.

Asking what’s in a name might seem simple enough, but the answer is not.