SOMERLED: Gaelic Somhairle, Middle Gaelic. Sornuirle, and in the Gaelic ms. of 1467 Somairle, a borrowing from ON. Smnarliði, 'mariner, viking, summer wanderer or sailor.' Originally it "was not a personal name, but only signified a viking who used to come to the British Isles in the summer, a pirate, not a settler. The Pictish Chronicle, for instance, speaks of 'the fleets of the Somerleds' (classic Somarlidiorum)" (Bugge, History of the Northmen in Ireland, 1900, p. 17). Somewhat akin to this was the old Border custom of 'summering,' that is, making excursions into England during the summer season."For the parentage of Somerled, the 'Regulus' of Ergaaia, we have nothing but a traditionary Irish genealogy, deducing his descent from the Irish tribe which possessed the district of Oirgialla or Oriel in Ulster, and the Strange epithet of Citebi or Cicebi in the contemporary poems" (Skene, in Fordun, II, p. 430). Sumerled, sacerdos, first of the name recorded in Scotland apart from Somerled of the Isles, witnessed a confirmation of the church of the Holy Trinity of Dunkeld to the Abbey of Dunfermline, a. 1169 (RD., p. 74). He is probably the Sumerlethus, capellanus, of an Inchcolm charter of c. 1162-69 (Inchcolm, p. 1). Sumerleith de Fetherhesan was juror in a dispute regarding the Kirketun of Aberbuthenoth in 1206 (SCM., V, p. 213). Ysaac, capellarus Sumerledi, witnessed a charter by Maldouen, earl of Lennox, 1238 (Levenax, p. 13; RMP., p. 161). There is in record an attestation by a Lennox jury that one Somerlet gave his son Thomas sasine of Darlet, now Darleith, c. 1238-80 (Bain, IV, 1755). Sumerleht who witnessed two charters by Duncan, earl of Carrik c. 1250 (CMN., 13, 14), may be Sumerled de Dalcru who witnessed a confirmation charter by Maldovenus, earl of Lennox of lands in Lennox, 1252 (RMP., p. 172), and perhaps the Summerleith Lyen who witnessed a charter of the land of Ouchencloich, c. 1250 (Levenax, p. 27). Murdach, son of Sumerleth, was juror on an inquisition held at Gerwan (Girvan) in 1260 (Bain, I, 2674). Thomas filius Somerledy was one of an inquest made at Dumbarton in 1271 which found that the daughters of the late Finlay of Campsie were the lawful heirs of deceased Dufgall, brother of Maldouen, earl of Lennox (RMP,, p. 191; Red Bk. Menteith, II, p. 218), and two years later he witnessed the charter by Earl Malcolm of Lennox granting the church of Kilpatrick to Paisley (Levenax, p. 15). John Sommerledi ( = son of Sommerled) had a charter of lands in earldom of Carrik from David II (RMS., I, App. II, 1109), and Mordach Somirlyny witnessed a charter of land of Duff ale to the Friars Preachers of Ayr, 1381 (Friars Ayr, p. 23). Somerled MacCombich is in record, c. 1442 (TGSI., XXII, p. 61), and Sorlet, rector of Assend (Assynt), attests a charter of Bishop William to his brother-german Gilbert Mudy in 1455 (RMS., II, 1404). From a Lamont of this name comes Clan Sorley of Cowal. The name has been corrupted by chroniclers into Sorli Marlady, Surle Maderdy, Sowrdy Madurdy, Surle Muderdi, and Mac Illurdy. Other forms of the name are Sourle, Serb, Simorledy, Somerledy, Somerleti, Surly, Surley, Sorlet (this Latinized Sorletus, 1427), Sorll Sorlle, and Surleus Camrone was included in a letter of remission 12 March 1631 (RMS., VIII, 1753). Sorrie appears to be a shortening of II, and it has been equated with Samuel, "an instance of the tendency to equate what we do not know with something which at any rate we consider ourselves familiar" (Maclagan, Perth incident, p. 307). In the Arthurian romance of Fergus, formerly attributed to Guillaume le Clerc (c. 1170 -c 1230), the name of Somerled of Argyll appears as Saumilloit, and in Wyntoun (bk. VII, 1. 1491) the great Somerled appears as Sowelle. Of the early history of this Somerled, grandson of Gilleadomnan, all we know is derived exclusively from tradition written down only c. 1680 (Clan Donald, I, p. 38) by Hugh Macdonald, the Sleat historian.

SOMMERLAT: An ancient personal name, very rarely met with as a surname. (There is one bearer of it in the London Directory for 1859.) It occurs in Domesday as Summerled, and the owner was a holder of lands prior to the Survey. Somerled, Thane of Argyle, and King of the Isles, the founder of the clan Macdonald, flourished in the XII. century.