Scottish, from the Gaelic Fionnladh, meaning "fair hero".
A correspondent [AC2] has found several examples working with the Clan Chisholm Exchange Group of Philip and Finlay being used interchangeably in the Highlands of Scotland.
Both Finlay and Philip have been listed in various sources as Anglicized versions of the Gaelic names Fionnla/Fionnlagh; the Oxford Names Companion notes only that Finlay is the Anglicized form of these names.
In the 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire, the spelling Findlay occurs over twice as frequently as Finlay but both are rare. |
