The study of place-names may be said to stand to history and ethnology in somewhat the same relation as the study of fossils stands to geology. Each group of fossils more or less represents a distinct age of geologic time; so, roughly speaking does each group of place-name represent a period of historic or pre-historic time.
This book has a write up of each of the different type of names found in Scotland, then followed by an A-Z listing of the places with details of their origins.
Example of a couple of entries:
KYLOE, West. Prob G.caol abh'narrows of the water.'Cf.AWE and Kyloe, 1610, Kyley, S. of Berwick.
LADYBANK (Fife). The Lindores monks dug peats here, fr. 13th century; hence called 'Our Lady's Bog,' but also 'Lathybog,' which looks like G.leathad bog, 'moist hill-slope'; about sixty years ago 'improved' into Landbank. There was also once a 'Lady-Bank' near Arbroath.
Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1. Celtic Names
Chapter 2. Norse Names
Chapter 3. English Names
Chapter 4. Roman, Norman and Purely Modern Names
Chapter 5. Ecclesiastical Names
Alphabetical List of the Place-Names of Scotland
Index to Names not on the List
