Scottish Gaelic Boy Names
Scottish Gaelic male given names come from the Gaelic language, drawing on Old Irish roots and later Christian influence. Masculine forms often show specific endings such as -air (Alasdair) and -us/-hus (Aonghus), and diminutives commonly use -an. Historical male naming also used Mac plus the father’s name as a patronymic.
In modern Scotland, many boys receive either the Gaelic form or an Anglicised spelling, and both circulate in records and everyday use. Common modern forms from this set include Alasdair, Alistair, Alister, Allister, Aonghus, Aonghas, Aonghuis, Artuir, Alpin, and Barra.
Showing 50
of 356 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle | Narrow, strait (channel) | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 13,024 #1 | |
| Callum | Dove | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 10,653 #2 | |
| Malcolm | Devotee or follower of Saint Columba | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 9,503 #3 | |
| Callan | Diminutive of Cathal - 'little battle' (battle-mighty) | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 7,651 #4 | |
| Donald | Ruler of the world | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 4,500 #5 | |
| Lachlan | From the land of lakes / land of the lochs (sometimes associated with 'Viking' or 'Norseman' in historical contexts) | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 3,921 #6 | |
| Douglas | Dark stream or river (from Gaelic dubh 'dark' + glas 'stream, river') | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 3,419 #7 | |
| Ewen | Derived from Gaelic Eòghan/Eoghan; often given as "born of the yew (tree)" or interpreted as "youth/well-born" | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 3,227 #8 | |
| Finlay | Fair-haired hero / fair warrior | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 2,680 #9 | |
| Alistair | Defender of men | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 2,480 #10 | |
| Calum | Dove | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 2,427 #11 | |
| Duncan | From Gaelic elements meaning 'donn' (brown/dark or chief) + 'cath'/'chadh' (battle/warrior) - often rendered 'brown- or dark-haired warrior' or 'chieftain'. | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 2,385 #12 | |
| Ewan | Yew-born; 'born of the yew' (also associated with 'youth') | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 1,897 #13 | |
| Craig | Rock; crag | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 1,544 #14 | |
| Glenn | Valley; 'from the valley' | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 1,420 #15 | |
| Alister | Defender of men | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 969 #16 | |
| Glen | Valley; 'from the valley' | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 737 #17 | |
| Cameran | From Gaelic cam 'crooked' + sròn 'nose' - 'crooked nose' (sometimes interpreted as 'crooked river' in place-name sources) | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 575 #18 | |
| Allister | Defender of men | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 543 #19 | |
| Ken | 'handsome' (from Coinneach); alternatively associated with 'born of fire' (from Cináed) | English, Scottish, Scottish Gaelic, Vietnamese | Boy | 539 #20 | |
| Ruairidh | Red king (red-haired king) | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 518 #21 | |
| Kallum | Dove | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 490 #22 | |
| Alasdair | Defender of men / defender of mankind | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 428 #23 | |
| Findlay | Fair-haired hero / fair warrior | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 405 #24 | |
| Lochlyn | From the land of lakes/lochs (originally from 'Lochlann', referring to lake/loch lands or Norse/Scandinavian lands) | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 307 #25 | |
| Keir | Dark, dark-haired | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 259 #26 | |
| Iann | Yahweh is gracious | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 219 #27 | |
| Carrick | Rock; rocky place | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 155 #28 | |
| Logen | Little hollow | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 151 #29 | |
| Corran | From Gaelic corrán meaning 'sickle' or 'crescent' (also used for a rounded hill or sickle-shaped feature) | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 136 #30 | |
| Cailean | Young pup, whelp; young one / youth | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 110 #31 | |
| Macaulay | Son of Amhalghaidh or Olaf | English, Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 99 #32 | |
| Lachlann | Originally 'land of lakes'/'land of fjords'; later associated with 'Viking' or 'Norseman'. | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 89 #33 | |
| Kameran | Either 'crooked nose' or 'river bend' (from Scottish Gaelic Cameron) or 'successful/fortunate' (from Persian Kamran) | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 87 #34 | |
| Rorey | 'red king' (from Gaelic ruadh 'red' + rí 'king') | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 81 #35 | |
| Keneth | Handsome; born of fire | Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 79 #36 | |
| Colyn | Diminutive of Nicholas ('victory of the people') or Gaelic 'Coileán' meaning 'young pup'/'whelp'. | English, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 77 #37 | |
| Coltrane | Surname-turned given name; original surname meaning is uncertain; chiefly associated with the Coltrane family and the musician John Coltrane | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 76 #38 | |
| Lochlin | From Gaelic 'Lochlann' - originally 'land of lakes', later used for the 'land of the Norse' (Vikings). | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 75 #39 | |
| Kaylum | Dove | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 71 #40 | |
| Macallister | Son of Alasdair (Alasdair = Gaelic form of Alexander, 'defender of men') | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 64 #41 | |
| Buchanan | House/settlement of the canon (associated with a church canon) | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 63 #42 | |
| Niel | Derived from Old Irish Niall; commonly interpreted as 'champion' but sometimes linked to 'cloud' or 'passionate'. | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 56 #43 | |
| Cailan | Slender, narrow | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 54 #44 | |
| Loch | Lake; sea inlet | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 46 #45 | |
| Seumas | Supplanter | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 46 #46 | |
| Maclean | Son of the servant/follower of (Saint) John | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 45 #47 | |
| Aulay | Ancestor's descendant (from Old Norse elements meaning 'ancestor' + 'heir/descendant') | Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 41 #48 | |
| Nevyn | Derived from Gaelic naomh 'saint' (diminutive Naomhán) - 'little saint' or 'holy one' | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 40 #49 | |
| Donal | World-ruler | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Boy | 39 #50 |
Scottish Gaelic Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Scottish Gaelic-origin name in our dataset.
356
Names in this origin
62
With data in 2024
10,170
Births 2024
28,710
Peak year 2000