It is interesting how red hair appears in families. My Mother had black hair although all her ancestors going back as far as we could go were Scottish. Daddy had light brown hair and same for him except one GGrand Mother who was a Collins which I think is Irish.
All of their 5 children were either black headed or brown, yet nearly every one of their Grandchildren are red heads.
Ah, the Lord moves in many ways in the makin’ of all things great ‘n’ small, eh? And if I may your Lordship/Ladyship, there isn’t anything human or animal that’s “Scottish’’. It’s “Scot’’. As in “He’s a Scot’’ or ‘’She’s a Scotswoman’’ or ‘’The Scots’’. Mark me well darlin’ were ye to make that mistake around Scots sure ‘n’ they would let you know and how!
‘’Collins’’ is indeed very Irish. However, as my own family research has shown many Irish names thought to be Irish, were actually Scot in origin. Many of the names with ‘’Mc’’ (as is part of my surname) are Scot in origin.Many Irish names were changed over generations for many reasons. Religious reasons, either marrying into or out of a Catholic or Protestant family or changed in order to enroll in an institute of higher learning, join the military or when immigrating here to America to hide a criminal record or a politically troubled past or to better fit into America society, to be ‘’free of the smell of the peat’’ as the saying went.