Scottish Boy Names
Scottish male names draw primarily from Scottish Gaelic and Scots, with extensive Anglicization. Many are Gaelic forms adapted to English spelling, such as Alastair (from Alasdair) and Angus (from Aonghas). A distinct structural trait in boys’ names is the use of surnames as given names, often from clans or occupations, for example Anderson, Barclay, Baird, and Armstrong. Variant spellings are common in masculine Gaelic-to-English forms, including -air, -er, or -or in Alastair/Aleister/Alistor.
In modern use, boys more frequently receive surname and place-based forenames (e.g., Arran, Balfour), while traditional Gaelic male names continue, often in English orthography. Examples include Angus, Alastair, Alec, Anderson, Barclay, Baird, Arran, Auley, Athol, and Aiken.
Showing 50
of 560 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian | God is gracious | Scottish | Boy | 42,968 #1 | |
| Carson | Originally a surname meaning 'son of Carr' - 'Carr' possibly meaning 'marsh-dweller' or 'rock' (etymology uncertain) | Scottish | Boy | 39,214 #2 | |
| Gavin | 'white hawk' (or 'little hawk') | Scottish | Boy | 25,465 #3 | |
| Maxwell | From the Scottish place name meaning 'Maccus's stream' or 'Mack's well' | Scottish | Boy | 24,466 #4 | |
| Brody | From the place name Brodie - 'muddy place' or 'ditch' | Scottish | Boy | 22,905 #5 | |
| Bryce | Speckled; freckled | English, Scottish | Boy | 17,172 #6 | |
| Grant | Large, great; tall | English, Scottish | Boy | 17,165 #7 | |
| Knox | Hill; round-topped hill, hillock | English, Scottish | Boy | 15,332 #8 | |
| Anderson | Son of Andrew (son of 'manly' or 'strong') | English, Scottish | Boy | 10,694 #9 | |
| Collin | "Young pup"; also a diminutive of Nicholas meaning "people's victory". | French, Scottish | Boy | 7,296 #10 | |
| Scott | Scotsman; person from Scotland | English, Scottish | Boy | 5,443 #11 | |
| Roy | Commonly "king" (Old French); also associated with "red" or "red-haired" (Gaelic). | French, Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Boy | 4,865 #12 | |
| Mack | Originally 'son' or 'son of'; used as a surname-derived given name or a short form of Mac- names (e.g., Mackenzie, Malcolm). | Scottish | Boy | 4,734 #13 | |
| Alec | Defender of men | Greek, Scottish | Boy | 4,546 #14 | |
| Brodie | From a Scottish place-name; possibly 'ditch' or 'muddy place' (exact origin uncertain). | Scottish | Boy | 4,404 #15 | |
| Keith | Wood, forest | Scottish | Boy | 4,337 #16 | |
| Wilson | Son of Will | English, Germanic, Scottish | Boy | 4,002 #17 | |
| Melvin | Council friend | English, Scottish | Boy | 3,619 #18 | |
| Scottie | From Scotland; diminutive sense 'little Scot' or 'Scottish' | English, Scottish | Boy | 3,408 #19 | |
| Houston | Hugh's town (settlement of Hugh) | English, Scottish | Boy | 3,330 #20 | |
| Clyde | From the River Clyde (Scottish river) | Scottish | Boy | 3,158 #21 | |
| Kelvin | From the River Kelvin (from Gaelic 'caol abhainn' meaning 'narrow river') | Scottish | Boy | 2,788 #22 | |
| Blaine | Likely 'yellow' or 'blond' (from Bláán); alternatively associated with 'top' or 'summit' (Welsh blaen) | Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Boy | 2,562 #23 | |
| Lyle | Island; 'from the island' | English, Scottish | Boy | 2,377 #24 | |
| Gordon | From a Scottish place name meaning 'spacious fort' or 'large hill' (also interpreted as 'great fort' or 'muddy hill'). | Scottish | Boy | 2,213 #25 | |
| Wallace | Welshman, foreigner | Anglo-Norman, English, Germanic, Scottish | Boy | 2,194 #26 | |
| Evander | Good man | Greek, Latin, Scottish | Boy | 2,127 #27 | |
| Ramsey | From an Old English place name meaning 'island of wild garlic' (sometimes interpreted as 'ram's island'). | English, Scottish | Boy | 2,043 #28 | |
| Angus | “one strength” or “unique choice” | Gaelic, Scottish | Boy | 1,804 #29 | |
| Ross | Promontory, headland (dweller by the promontory) | Scottish | Boy | 1,672 #30 | |
| Ean | God is gracious | Irish, Scottish | Boy | 1,514 #31 | |
| Macklin | Descendant/son of a Gaelic personal name (likely Lochlann/Lachlan) | Irish, Scottish | Boy | 1,417 #32 | |
| Camron | Crooked nose | Scottish | Boy | 1,387 #33 | |
| Tyree | Possibly 'from Tyre' (the ancient city; root often glossed as 'rock') or 'of Tiree' (Scottish island); also used as a modern personal name without a single fixed meaning. | English, Gaelic, Scottish | Boy | 1,272 #34 | |
| Irving | Derived from a Scottish place name, often interpreted as "green river" or "sea/river friend". | Scottish | Boy | 1,015 #35 | |
| Hamish | Derived from James/Jacob - 'supplanter' (one who supplants) | Scottish | Boy | 977 #36 | |
| Arran | Originally a place-name meaning 'from the Isle of Arran'; sometimes used as a form of Aaron | Scottish | Boy | 969 #37 | |
| Boyd | Yellow; fair-haired (also associated with the Isle of Bute) | Scottish | Boy | 915 #38 | |
| Calder | From the cold or rocky stream | English, Scottish | Boy | 892 #39 | |
| Irvin | From the Scottish place-name (River Irvine) meaning 'green/fresh water'; in some traditions related to Old English/Germanic elements meaning 'boar-friend' or 'sea-friend'. | English, Gaelic, Irish, Scottish | Boy | 878 #40 | |
| Fraser | From the Fraser clan name; likely 'strawberry' or 'strawberry field' (from Old French fraisier) | Scottish | Boy | 780 #41 | |
| Lamont | From the mountain | Norman French, Scottish | Boy | 742 #42 | |
| Breck | From Gaelic 'breac' meaning 'speckled' or 'freckled' (also used for 'trout' in some contexts) | Irish, Scottish | Boy | 721 #43 | |
| Malcom | Servant or devotee of Saint Columba (follower of Columba) | Scottish | Boy | 689 #44 | |
| Blayne | Likely 'yellow' or 'yellow-haired' (Gaelic origin; exact etymology uncertain) | Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Boy | 656 #45 | |
| Melvyn | Possibly "council-friend" (from Old English elements) or "from Malleville" (place-name); exact meaning uncertain | English, Scottish | Boy | 637 #46 | |
| Stuart | Household guardian | English, French, Old English, Scottish | Boy | 611 #47 | |
| Gavyn | Derived from Welsh Gwalchgwyn, meaning 'white hawk'. | English, Scottish | Boy | 609 #48 | |
| Euan | Derived from Gaelic Eòghan/Eoghan, commonly interpreted as 'born of the yew' or 'youth/well-born'. | Gaelic, Scottish | Boy | 587 #49 | |
| Innes | Island; river meadow - 'from the island' or 'from the meadow' | Scottish | Boy | 564 #50 |
Scottish Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Scottish-origin name in our dataset.
560
Names in this origin
2
With data in 2025
0
Births 2025
58,553
Peak year 2008