Alba
The name Alba may refer to —
- the ancient and modern Scottish Gaelic name (pronounced Al-uh-puh) for the northwest European country of Scotland (compare Alban in Irish Gaelic).
The word ultimately comes from a Celtic word referring the whole island of Great Britain, hence the early classical Albion. Used by the Gaels to refer to the island as a whole until roughly the 9th or 10th centuries, when it came to be the name given to the kingdoms of the Picts and the Scots (Pictavia and Dalriada), north of the rivers Forth and Clyde, unified by Kenneth Mac Alpin. As time passed that kingdom incorporated others to the south. It became Latinized in the High Medieval period as "Albania" (not directly related to the modern Albania). This latter word was employed mainly by Celto-Latin writers, and most famously by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It was this word which passed into Middle English as Albany, although very rarely was this used for the Kingdom of Scotland, but rather for the notional Duchy of Albany. From the latter the capital of New York takes its name.
- a county in Romania whose capital is Alba Iulia.
- a town in Piedmont, Italy.
- a municipality in Aragon, Spain.
- Alba de Tormes (origin of the Castilian noble Alba family) and Alba de Yeltes, in Catile-Leon, Spain.
- The ancient city of Alba Longa in Latium, Italy.
- a genetically altered rabbit, given the famous jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene.
- a brand of consumer electronics, sold in the United Kingdom
In the United States, it may refer to —
- any one of the towns or unincorporated places located in Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
- any of multiple townships.
People named Alba include —