English / Map Form: Girvan
Gaelic Form: Inbhir Gharbhain
Location: South Ayrshire
Post Town: GIRVAN
County: Ayrshire
Local Authority: South Ayrshire
English / Map Form: Girvan
Gaelic Form: Inbhir Gharbhain
Element Meaning
G inbhir ~ confluence; Garbhain ~ river name
Sources
Innirgarvan’1253 RRS, 19 [Lennox Chrs. 12]
Girven 1275
Geruan 1329 RRS v no. 363
Invergarvane 1404 [From Chalmers’ Caledonia 539]
Additional Information
Discussed by Breeze (1999, 48–9), where he suggests British ‘rough one, harsh one’, originally applied to the Water of Girvan, related to Welsh garw ‘rough’. [Taylor] Inbhir Gharbhain could be proposed, but the forms are ancient and have no currency nowadays. Moreover the form without inbhir seems to have been in use alongside the form with inbhir.