Scottish town names found in Australia as people disagree over one pronunciation

A TikTok user has shared a list of towns in Australia that are named after places in Scotland.

Andrew Lewis, from South Australia, is a traveller who is currently making his way across Scotland. While in the country, he noticed that many town names from his home originated here.

Taking to TikTok, Lewis stated that he "never knew" of the connection. Among the destinations in South Australia that he singles out are Glenelg, Stirling, Aberfoyle, and Nairn.

Lewis stressed that the pronunciations may be different between Scotland and Australia, though users in the comments agreed that he was "spot on" for most. However, his pronunciation of Nairn sparked a lively debate about how to pronounce the town name.

In the video, Lewis states: "I thought this would be a good time to talk about the town names that we have in South Australia, where I come from specifically, that come from Scotland that I never knew came from Scotland. I guess I assumed any town name that wasn't Aboriginal was probably from England."

Australia has hundreds of suburbs, towns, and even cities that take their name from places all over the UK. The most notable example is Perth, which is the capital of Western Australia and one of the largest cities in the country with a population of around two million.

The explanation for this dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Oceanic country was colonised by British forces. Australia received these names when explorers and settlers from the UK took over the country.

Similar to the United States, which was also colonised by the British, many areas were named after places in Scotland and England. These colonies were run by people who likely chose names that made them think of home.

Since being posted on June 20, Lewis' video has been viewed more than 76,000 times and received almost 4,000 likes. It has also been commented on more than 400 times, with many Australians and Scots keen to share their thoughts.

"Thanks for sharing interesting stuff," one user commented, while a second wrote: "Brilliant, mon the Scots!"

Many viewers were impressed by Lewis' pronunciation of Scottish place names, with one commenter calling it "perfect". However, Nairn caused some debate in the comments, with users unable to agree on how to pronounce the Highland town.

One TikTik user posted: "Your pronunciation was spot on except Nairn. We would sound the Nai as NAY with a rolled R, then N. More like NAYRRRN!

However, another commenter who lives in Nairn responded: "I don't, I say it like Nurn, like the website Gurn from Nurn."

A second agreed: "If you’re from Nairn, it tends to be pronounced Nurn."

Meanwhile, some commenters were keen to point out other places in Australia that take their name from Scotland. One shared: "Also Ardrossan, Bute, Glencoe, Largs, Melrose, Rosslyn, St Kilda and Urrbrae."

"St Kilda in Melbourne and a Campbelltown outside Sydney (Scottish one has one L)," another wrote, while a third posted: "There’s a Helensburgh somewhere in Australia."

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