The meaning of Broch/Dun names

Most Duns or brochs are simply named after the nearest settlement.  Some of today’s names are derived from Gaelic while others are derived from Norse – both languages being rather later than the dates when the duns were constructed. The Gaelic names could be more recent but they could be older and derived from Brythonic forms of Gaelic. We have no way of knowing what the original names were or if any of the modern names bear any resemblance to the original names.

 Much of the information below comes from 
1) "Place names of Skye and Adjacent Islands " by Alexander Robert Forbes (1923) .  The book is now out of print but has been digitised by SMO.
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/files/PDFs/00915325_Place_Names_of_Skye.pdf.  Also see
See also:
2) W. F. H. Nicolaisen (1969) Norse Settlement in the Northern and Western Isles: Some Place-Name Evidence in ‘The Scottish Historical Review’  Vol. 48

3) http://www.gaelicplacenames.org/index.php

Annait – name always applied to places where monks lived but usually believed to have been earlier pagan holy sites – usually associated with water

Caisteal Grugaig castle of the wretched or sullen woman (see Dun Grugaig).  Interstingly this broch is also called Dun Totaig and is situated on a hill named Faire an Duine

Dun Ard an t'sabhail the height or promontory of the barn. The name could also be derived from Há-fjall – high fell in Norse. Local Gaelic speakers have informed me that the word Sàbhail can mean salvation or protection

Dun Boreraig – Norse – castle bay

Dun Borrafiach The dun of the raven’s borg or burgh or haunt.

Dun Colbost  Norse – cold place/steading
 Dun Fiadhairt – deer enclosure or forest, “ deer ”, or should it be Dun Iadhaird – meaning uncultivated ground, wild field?
Dun Gearymore – Gearradh Mor – big garden or great enclosure
Dun Gerashader Dun Ghearra-Sheader The fort of the little dwelling, or the short mountain-pasture, gearr, short, little, etc., and setr (Norse), out-pasture or dwelling or Sheiling, etc. 
Dun Grugaig .. The wretched woman’s fort or hillock,, extended to mean the dun itself (inhospitable?); see also Caisteal Grugaig
Dun Hallin  The fort of the hall. or Chailin, the girl, the maiden’s fort;
Dun Ringill – no meanings found but ghyll /gill Old Norse for ravine or stream

Dun Sleadale  no explanation found

Dun Suladale (Suledale)  Forbes – fort of the solan goose dale. Solan goose is a northern gannet.  Gannets usually stay pretty close to the coast so I struggle to find a reason to call this broch “fort of the solan goose”, unless the name was a “tribal name”.  It does seem that many ancient tribes  had a animal type name as a “totem”

Dun Totaig  - Dun of the ruin on the bay - Norse origin perhaps  implying the Vikings were aware of the already ruined broch.

Dun Torvaig The fort of the hill of the bay. However, there are hills nearer to the bay!

Dun Feorlig   Norse origin meaning farthing land.

Duns Telve, Troddan (Glenelg) – No meanings found but there are stories about a witch named Grugaig who had two sons, who were giants: Telve and Todder. Hence in Glenelg area there are 3 duns Grugaig, Telve and Troddan

Faire an Duine: (hill on which Casiteal Grugaig stands) watch place of the man

Rubha an Dunain – Headland of the fort or Dùnain may mean either "bird's hill" (Dùn Eòin) or "John's fort" (Dùn Eòin/Dùn Iain).