Many Scots families follow the custom of naming their children after the grandparents in the following manner. This can cause families to have two children with the same name if the grandparents had the same name. The process also started over if the parent remarried, so it is common to find half brothers or sisters with the same names. Not all Scots families followed this pattern, but many that did continued it long after leaving Scotland

Alternate names using the Grandmother's, Grandfather's, Mother's, Aunt's, and Uncle's names Sometimes the Middle name was used. Examples would be Michael Joseph. The child may have been named after a Joseph in the family. The name of a past family member is sometimes used again e.g.: sister or brother uncle.
It's important to consider names in all their forms when looking at family use of the traditional naming patterns there is a strong tradition in Ireland of choosing the name of a family member, particularly a grandparent, for your child. Often, the child will be officially named after a relative, but use their middle name for everyday life. Parents are reluctant to break away from traditional names and their usage, and in modern times give in to the urge to be 'unique' or 'individual'