An yi imani da cewa waɗannan mazauna sun isa cikin adadi mai yawa kuma kamar waɗanda suka yi hijira zuwa Iceland da Faroe Islands yana yiwuwa mafi yawan sun fito ne daga gabar yammacin Norway. Shetland toponymy yana da kamanceceniya da na arewa maso yammacin Norway, yayin da ƙamus na Norn yana nuna alaƙa da yankuna na kudancin Norway. An yi alkawarin Orkney da Shetland ga James III a cikin 1468 da 1469, kuma tare da waɗannan alkawuran ne maye gurbin Scots ya fi dacewa. Koyaya, raguwar yaren Norse a cikin Orkney mai yiwuwa ya fara ne a 1379 lokacin da earldom ya shiga hannun Sinclairs, kuma Scots ya maye gurbin Norse a matsayin harshen farko na tsibirin a farkon karni na 15?
farkon ƙarni na 9