From witches to ducks via Hibs stars: Edinburgh residents asked for suggestions on new street names for Capital

City-dwellers have been asked to provide potential new names for streets.

Tom Gilzean, who will have a street named after him to memorialise his charity work.

From witches to football stars with flowers and ducks in between, Edinburgh has a myriad of different street names, some dating back centuries.

Now, Edinburgh City Council are asking residents to suggest names for streets ahead of the new year after the late Tom Gilzean's name was added to the list following his death in November.

Other famous names already included in the list include former footballer Gordon Strachan, Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, and sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi.

Former Hibs star Lawrie Reilly, who already has a street named after him.

Anyone can propose a name by speaking to councillors, neighbourhood networks or directly to the council's street naming officers.

The current list of names is available online here.Streets named after witches and ducks

All names need to be justified by those proposing them and are checked against a set criteria, with the names meant to commemorate local history, noteworthy people, events or neighbourhood identity.

For example, Helen Thomson, Marion Dauline, Marion Stein, Marion Little and Isobel Young were among those accused of witchcraft in the Queensferry area, all of whom now have streets named after them.

Famous Five star Willie Ormond, who won three league championships with Hibs in the 1940s and 1950s, is on the list for a street to be named after him in the future.

His playing partner Eddie Turnbull is also on the list, while Lawrie Reilly already has a street named after him.

'Edinburgh rich with heritage'

Councillor Neil Gardiner, the planning convener, said: “We’re always looking for new suggestions so it’s great to see the bank is now online so people can go in have a look at new names we already have and hopefully it will provide some inspiration.

Edinburgh is rich with heritage and culture so we have some great examples which have been used in the last few years including names of suffragettes and soldiers who died in World War I.

"A recent motion was also passed to amend our guidance so that we can prioritise using names of women where possible.”

Councillor Maureen Child, vice planning convener, said: “The history behind some of the names used in the past is fascinating. One that jumped out at me was streets in Queensferry being named after witches being burned in the 17th Century.

"It’s not just names of people we are looking for. Some colourful examples are of streets relating to flora and fauna - Goldeneye Gait and Goldeneye Drive named after a duck, which can be found in the Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park near the development.

"In that area they also have Damselfly Road and Bullfinch Way. I’d encourage people to have a look at the bank and follow our guidance when making suggestions.”