Scottish given names draw from Scottish Gaelic, Scots, and English, with additional Norse influence in the Northern Isles. Gaelic forms often show distinctive orthography and pronunciation: lenited consonants appear as bh, mh, dh, gh, and accents mark vowel length (à, è, ì, ò, ù). Common Gaelic masculine forms include Iain, Alasdair, and Seumas; feminine forms include Eilidh, Màiri/Mhairi, and Morag. Productive Gaelic endings include masculine -an (Ailean) and feminine diminutive -ag (Morag). Anglicized spellings frequently coexist with Gaelic originals, and pronunciation does not always match English expectations.
Historically, Christian influence popularized saint and biblical names, especially in Lowland Scots and English forms such as John, James, and Robert. Traditional Scottish naming patterns in the 18th and 19th centuries often assigned children’s given names by grandparent order. Surnames with Mac-/Mc- as patronymics are Scottish hallmarks, and modern usage commonly adopts clan and family surnames as given names (Cameron, Fraser). Norse-derived names like Magnus appear in Orkney and Shetland. Since the late 20th century, Gaelic names have seen wider revival across Scotland.
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isla | Island | Scottish | Girl | 60,363 #1 | |
| Ian | God is gracious | Scottish | Boy | 42,968 #2 | |
| Finley | Fair-haired hero/warrior | Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Unisex | 42,948 #3 | |
| Carson | Originally a surname meaning 'son of Carr' - 'Carr' possibly meaning 'marsh-dweller' or 'rock' (etymology uncertain) | Scottish | Boy | 39,214 #4 | |
| Paisley | From the town of Paisley in Scotland; loosely 'of/from Paisley' | Scottish | Unisex | 38,652 #5 | |
| Gavin | 'white hawk' (or 'little hawk') | Scottish | Boy | 25,465 #6 | |
| Maxwell | From the Scottish place name meaning 'Maccus's stream' or 'Mack's well' | Scottish | Boy | 24,466 #7 | |
| Brody | From the place name Brodie - 'muddy place' or 'ditch' | Scottish | Boy | 22,905 #8 | |
| Mackenzie | "Son of Coinneach" - son of the handsome/fair one | Scottish, Scottish Gaelic | Unisex | 22,611 #9 | |
| Arabella | Beautiful; possibly 'yielding to prayer' | Italian, Latin, Scottish | Girl | 19,090 #10 | |
| Bryce | Speckled; freckled | English, Scottish | Boy | 17,172 #11 | |
| Grant | Large, great; tall | English, Scottish | Boy | 17,165 #12 | |
| Dallas | Dweller of the valley; from the meadow | Scottish | Unisex | 16,154 #13 | |
| Maisie | Pearl | Scottish | Girl | 15,499 #14 | |
| Knox | Hill; round-topped hill, hillock | English, Scottish | Boy | 15,332 #15 | |
| Lennox | From the elm grove | Scottish | Unisex | 14,266 #16 | |
| Anderson | Son of Andrew (son of 'manly' or 'strong') | English, Scottish | Boy | 10,694 #17 | |
| Bonnie | Pretty; attractive | Scottish | Girl | 10,135 #18 | |
| Blair | Field, plain; battlefield | Scottish | Unisex | 9,986 #19 | |
| Skye | From the Isle of Skye; associated with 'sky' or 'mist/cloud' | Norse, Scottish | Unisex | 8,057 #20 | |
| Collin | "Young pup"; also a diminutive of Nicholas meaning "people's victory". | French, Scottish | Boy | 7,296 #21 | |
| Kinley | Derived from Gaelic elements meaning 'fair' + 'hero' - 'fair-haired hero' or 'son/descendant of the fair hero'. | Irish, Scottish | Unisex | 6,990 #22 | |
| Kenzie | Diminutive of Mackenzie - 'son of Coinneach' (Coinneach = 'handsome' or 'comely') | Scottish | Unisex | 6,862 #23 | |
| Kyla | From Gaelic 'caol' meaning 'narrow' or 'slender; from the narrows/strait' | Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Girl | 6,078 #24 | |
| Monroe | From the mouth of the Roe (river mouth) | Irish, Scottish | Unisex | 5,922 #25 | |
| Mckinley | Son of Finlay; 'son of the fair warrior' or 'son of the fair-haired hero' | Irish, Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Unisex | 5,716 #26 | |
| Scott | Scotsman; person from Scotland | English, Scottish | Boy | 5,443 #27 | |
| Roy | Commonly "king" (Old French); also associated with "red" or "red-haired" (Gaelic). | French, Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Boy | 4,865 #28 | |
| 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 #29 | |
| Alec | Defender of men | Greek, Scottish | Boy | 4,546 #30 | |
| Brodie | From a Scottish place-name; possibly 'ditch' or 'muddy place' (exact origin uncertain). | Scottish | Boy | 4,404 #31 | |
| Keith | Wood, forest | Scottish | Boy | 4,337 #32 | |
| Blaire | Derived from Scottish Gaelic blàr meaning "plain", "field" or "battlefield" | Scottish | Unisex | 4,174 #33 | |
| Wilson | Son of Will | English, Germanic, Scottish | Boy | 4,002 #34 | |
| Kenna | Feminine form of Kenneth - derived from Gaelic roots meaning "born of fire" (Cináed) and also associated with "handsome" (Coinneach). | Gaelic, Scottish | Girl | 3,825 #35 | |
| Melvin | Council friend | English, Scottish | Boy | 3,619 #36 | |
| Scottie | From Scotland; diminutive sense 'little Scot' or 'Scottish' | English, Scottish | Boy | 3,408 #37 | |
| Houston | Hugh's town (settlement of Hugh) | English, Scottish | Boy | 3,330 #38 | |
| Clyde | From the River Clyde (Scottish river) | Scottish | Boy | 3,158 #39 | |
| Kelvin | From the River Kelvin (from Gaelic 'caol abhainn' meaning 'narrow river') | Scottish | Boy | 2,788 #40 | |
| Carsyn | Modern respelling of Carson, often interpreted as 'son of the marsh-dwellers' or 'descendant of Carr'. | Irish, Scottish | Unisex | 2,649 #41 | |
| Bowie | Fair-haired, blond; alternatively 'descendant of Buadhach' (victorious) | Irish, Scottish | Unisex | 2,629 #42 | |
| Kye | From Gaelic 'caol' meaning 'narrow, straight channel'; alternatively used as a form of Kai, which can mean 'sea' (Hawaiian) or have other meanings in different languages. | Irish, Scottish | Unisex | 2,616 #43 | |
| Blaine | Likely 'yellow' or 'blond' (from Bláán); alternatively associated with 'top' or 'summit' (Welsh blaen) | Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Boy | 2,562 #44 | |
| Lyle | Island; 'from the island' | English, Scottish | Boy | 2,377 #45 | |
| Maisy | Pearl (diminutive of Margaret) | English, Scottish | Girl | 2,308 #46 | |
| Gordon | From a Scottish place name meaning 'spacious fort' or 'large hill' (also interpreted as 'great fort' or 'muddy hill'). | Scottish | Boy | 2,213 #47 | |
| Wallace | Welshman, foreigner | Anglo-Norman, English, Germanic, Scottish | Boy | 2,194 #48 | |
| Annabel | Grace and beauty | English, Scottish | Girl | 2,183 #49 | |
| Evander | Good man | Greek, Latin, Scottish | Boy | 2,127 #50 |
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Scottish-origin name in our dataset.
