Did you know? Our Scottish Connections

While it is sometimes impossible to be 100% certain of the Scottish, Irish or English origins of place names in the Ottawa region, there are some that appear to be unmistakably Scottish. One Australian man, Ian Kendall, has done some personal research to find them. He has outlined some communities and neighborhoods with names that occur only in Scotland - and not in other parts of the British Isles.

He says his research shows they are most probably, of Scottish origin. Here are a few well-known Ottawa place names, and his reasoning behind their Scottish ties.

Barrhaven: Many places in Scotland feature “Barr” as an element in their names. Examples include the towns of Barr (Argyll & Bute and South Ayrshire), and Barrhead (East Renfrewshire); the prefix can be found in many mountains and hills as well (Barr Dubh, Barr nan Cadhag). Kendall shares that Barr is a Gaelic word meaning 'head, top, tip, or summit'. He says it is also a Scottish and Northern Irish surname – and many Ottawans believe the name of Barrhaven came from Mel Barr, the reported developer of the subdivision. Kendall says that in a personal communication received from Barr’s grandson in 2010, he confirmed his grandfather, Melville Barr, built and named the subdivision.

Hazeldean: There is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, called Hazeldean.

New Edinburgh: This neighborhood was established in 1829 by Thomas McKay (1792-1855) and he named it for the capital city of Scotland. McKay himself was born in Perth, Scotland, and immigrated to Canada in 1817. As a successful businessman, he was also one of the founders of Ottawa, having been involved in the construction of the Rideau Canal system of locks.

Read more interesting background on place names, in Mr. Kendall’s research here.

Contributed by: Nujma Bond, OttScot member and newsletter editor.