AILSAfScottishFrom
Ailsa Craig, the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland, which is of uncertain derivation.
AINSLEYf & mScottish, English (Modern)From a surname which was from a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English
anne "alone, solitary" or
ansetl "hermitage" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
ALANmEnglish, Scottish, Breton, FrenchThe meaning of this name is not known for certain. It was used in Brittany at least as early as the 6th century, and it possibly means either "little rock" or "handsome" in Breton. Alternatively, it may derive from the tribal name of the Alans, an Iranian people who migrated into Europe in the 4th and 5th centuries.
... [more] ALLANmEnglish, Scottish, DanishVariant of
ALAN. The American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) got his middle name from the surname of the parents who adopted him.
ALLENmEnglish, ScottishVariant of
ALAN. A famous bearer of this name was Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), an American beat poet. Another is the American film director and actor Woody Allen (1935-), who took the stage name Allen from his real first name.
ALPINmScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Ailpein, possibly derived from a Pictish word meaning "white". This was the name of two kings of Dál Riata and two kings of the Picts in the 8th and 9th centuries.
AODHmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyFrom the old Irish name
Áed, which meant "fire". This was a very popular name in early Ireland, being borne by numerous figures in Irish mythology and several high kings. It has been traditionally Anglicized as
Hugh.
AODHÁNmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyFrom the old Irish name
Áedán, a diminutive of
Áed (see
AODH). This was the name of an Irish monk and saint of the 7th century. It was also borne by several characters in Irish mythology.
AONGHUSmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyPossibly meaning "one strength" derived from Irish
óen "one" and
gus "force, strength, energy". Aonghus (sometimes surnamed
Mac Og meaning "young son") was the Irish god of love and youth. The name was also borne by an 8th-century Pictish king and several Irish kings.
ARCHIBALDmScottish, EnglishDerived from the Germanic elements
ercan "genuine" and
bald "bold". The first element was altered due to the influence of Greek names beginning with the element
αρχος (archos) meaning "master". The Normans brought this name to England. It first became common in Scotland in the Middle Ages.
ARRANmScottishFrom the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland in the Firth of Clyde.
ATHOLm & fScottishFrom the name of a district in Scotland which was derived from Gaelic
ath Fodhla "new Ireland".
BARCLAYmScottish, English (Rare)From a Scottish surname which was likely derived from the English place name
Berkeley, meaning "birch wood" in Old English.
BLAIRm & fScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which is derived from Gaelic
blár meaning "plain, field, battlefield".
BOYDmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was possibly derived from the name of the island of Bute.
BRUCEmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname, of Norman origin, which probably originally referred to the town of Brix in France. The surname was borne by Robert the Bruce, a Scottish hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland. It has been in use as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. A notable bearer is the American musician Bruce Springsteen (1949-).
CARSONm & fScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname of uncertain meaning. A famous bearer of the surname was the American scout Kit Carson (1809-1868).
CINÁEDmScottish, IrishMeans "born of fire" in Gaelic. This was the name of the first king of the Scots and Picts (9th century). It is often Anglicized as
Kenneth.
CONALLmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyMeans "strong wolf" in Gaelic. This is the name of several characters in Irish legend including the hero Conall Cernach ("Conall of the victories"), a member of the Red Branch of Ulster, who avenged
Cúchulainn's death by killing Lugaid.
CRAIGmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was derived from Gaelic
creag meaning "crag" or "rocks", originally indicating a person who lived near a crag.
DAVIDmEnglish, Hebrew, French, Scottish, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
דָּוִד (Dawid), which was derived from Hebrew
דּוֹד (dod) meaning "beloved" or "uncle". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of
Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the New Testament,
Jesus was descended from him.
... [more] DONALDmScottish, EnglishFrom the Gaelic name
Domhnall which means "ruler of the world", composed of the old Celtic elements
dumno "world" and
val "rule". This was the name of two 9th-century kings of the Scots and Picts. It has traditionally been very popular in Scotland, and during the 20th century it became common in the rest of the English-speaking world. This is the name of one of Walt Disney's most popular cartoon characters, Donald Duck. It was also borne by Australian cricket player Donald Bradman (1908-2001).
DOUGALmScottish, IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Dubhghall, which meant "dark stranger" from
dubh "dark" and
gall "stranger".
DOUGLASmScottish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Scottish surname
Dubhghlas, meaning "dark river" from Gaelic
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). Douglas was originally a place name (for example, a tributary of the River Clyde), which then became a Scottish clan name borne by a powerful line of earls. It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.
DUNCANmScottish, EnglishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name
Donnchadh, derived from Gaelic
donn "brown" and
cath "battle". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' (1606).
EOGHANmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyPossibly means "born from the yew tree" in Irish, though it is possibly derived from
EUGENE. It was borne by several legendary or semi-legendary Irish figures, including a son of
Niall of the Nine Hostages.
ERSKINEmScottish, Irish, English (Rare)From a surname which was originally derived from the name of a Scottish town meaning "projecting height" in Gaelic. A famous bearer of the name was the Irish novelist and nationalist Erskine Childers (1870-1922).
FEARGHASmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyMeans "man of vigour", derived from the Gaelic elements
fear "man" and
gus "vigour". This was the name of several characters in Irish legend including the Ulster hero Fearghas mac Róich.
FIFEmScottishFrom a Scottish place name which was formerly the name of a kingdom in Scotland. It is said to be named for the legendary Pictish hero Fib.
FINGALmScottishFrom Scottish Gaelic
Fionnghall meaning "white stranger", derived from
fionn "white, fair" and
gall "stranger". This was the name of the hero in James Macpherson's epic poem 'Fingal' (1762), which he claimed to have based on early Gaelic legends about
Fionn mac Cumhail.
FIONAfScottish, EnglishFeminine form of
FIONN. This name was (first?) used by Scottish poet James Macpherson in his poem 'Fingal' (1762).
FORBESmScottishFrom a surname which was originally taken from a Scottish place name meaning "field" in Gaelic.
FRASERmScottish, English (Rare)From a Scottish surname which is of unknown meaning. A famous bearer of the surname was Simon Fraser (1776-1862), a Canadian explorer.
GAVINmEnglish, ScottishMedieval form of
GAWAIN. Though it died out in England, it was reintroduced from Scotland in the 20th century.
GILCHRISTmScottishDerived from the Gaelic phrase
giolla Chríost meaning "servant of Christ".
GILLESPIEmScottishAnglicized form of Scottish
Gille Easbaig or Irish
Giolla Easpuig both meaning "servant of the bishop".
GILROYmIrish, ScottishFrom an Irish surname, either
Mac Giolla Ruaidh, which means "son of the red-haired servant", or
Mac Giolla Rí, which means "son of the king's servant".
GLENNmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was derived from Gaelic
gleann "valley". A famous bearer of the surname was American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).
GORDONmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was originally derived from a place name in Berwickshire meaning "spacious fort". It was originally used in honour of Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), a British general who died defending the city of Khartoum in Sudan.
GORMLAITHfIrish, ScottishDerived from Irish
gorm "blue" or "illustrious" and
flaith "princess, lady". This was the name of a wife of the 11th-century Irish ruler
Brian Boru.
GRAHAMmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname, originally derived from the English place name
Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by the Norman baron William de Graham. A famous bearer was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor who devised the telephone.
GRANTmEnglish, ScottishFrom an English and Scottish surname which was derived from Norman French
grand meaning "great, large". A famous bearer of the surname was Ulysses Grant (1822-1885), the commander of the Union forces during the American Civil War who later served as president. In America the name has often been given in his honour.
GREGORmGerman, Scottish, Slovak, SloveneGerman, Scottish, Slovak and Slovene form of
GREGORY. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
GRISELDAfEnglish, Scottish, Spanish, LiteraturePossibly derived from the Germanic elements
gris "grey" and
hild "battle". It is not attested as a Germanic name. This was the name of a patient wife in medieval tales by Boccaccio and Chaucer.
IONA (1)fEnglish, ScottishFrom the name of the island off Scotland where Saint Columba founded a monastery. The name of the island is Old Norse in origin, and apparently derives simply from
ey meaning "island".
IRVINGmEnglish, Scottish, JewishFrom a Scottish surname which was in turn derived from a Scottish place name meaning "green water". Historically this name has been relatively common among Jews, who have used it as an American-sounding form of Hebrew names beginning with
I such as
Isaac,
Israel and
Isaiah. A famous bearer was the Russian-American songwriter and lyricist Irving Berlin (1888-1989), whose birth name was Israel Beilin.
ISLAYmScottishFrom the name of the island of Islay, which lies off of the west coast of Scotland.
IVORmIrish, Scottish, Welsh, English (British)From the Old Norse name
Ívarr, which was derived from the elements
yr "yew, bow" and
arr "warrior". During the Middle Ages it was brought to Britain by Scandinavian settlers and invaders, and it was adopted in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
JAMIEm & fScottish, EnglishOriginally a Lowland Scots diminutive of
JAMES. Since the late 19th century it has also been used as a feminine form.
JEAN (2)fEnglish, ScottishMedieval English variant of
Jehanne (see
JANE). It was common in England and Scotland during the Middle Ages, but eventually became rare in England. It was reintroduced to the English-speaking world from Scotland in the 19th century.
KEITHmEnglish, ScottishFrom a Scottish surname which was originally derived from a place name, itself probably derived from the Brythonic element
cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
KENNETHmScottish, English, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishAnglicized form of both
COINNEACH and
CINÁED. This name was borne by the Scottish king Kenneth (Cináed) mac Alpin, who united the Scots and Picts in the 9th century. It was popularized outside of Scotland by Sir Walter Scott, who used it for the hero in his novel 'The Talisman' (1825). A famous bearer was the British novelist Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932), who wrote 'The Wind in the Willows'.
KENTIGERNmScottishPossibly means "chief lord" in Gaelic. This was the name of a 6th-century saint from Glasgow.
LENNONm & fScottish, English (Modern)Anglicized form of the Irish surname
Ó Leannáin, which means "descendant of Leannán". The name
Leannán means "lover" in Gaelic. This surname was borne by musician John Lennon (1940-1980), a member of the Beatles.
LENNOXm & fScottish, English (Modern)From a Scottish surname which was derived from the name of a district in Scotland. The district, called
Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly means "place of elms".
LINDSAYf & mEnglish, ScottishFrom an English and Scottish surname which was originally derived from the name of the region
Lindsey, which means "
LINCOLN island" in Old English. As a given name it was typically masculine until the 1960s (in Britain) and 1970s (in America) when it became popular for girls, probably due to its similarity to
Linda and because of American actress Lindsay Wagner (1949-).
LOGANm & fScottish, EnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from a Scottish place name meaning "little hollow" in Scottish Gaelic.
MALCOLMmScottish, EnglishFrom Scottish
Máel Coluim which means "disciple of Saint
COLUMBA". This was the name of four kings of Scotland starting in the 10th century, including Malcolm III, who became king after killing Macbeth, the usurper who had murdered his father. The character Malcolm in Shakespeare's tragedy 'Macbeth' (1606) is based on him. Another famous bearer was Malcolm X (1925-1965), an American civil rights leader.
MALVINAfScottish, English, LiteratureCreated by the poet James MacPherson in the 18th century for a character in his Ossian poems. He probably intended it to mean "smooth brow" in Gaelic.
MAURA (2)fIrish, Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
MÁIRE. It has also been associated with Gaelic
mór meaning "great". This was the name of an obscure 5th-century Irish or Scottish martyr.
MOIRAfIrish, Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
MÁIRE. It also coincides with Greek
Μοιρα (Moira) meaning "fate, destiny", the singular of
Μοιραι, the Greek name for the Fates. They were the three female personifications of destiny in Greek mythology.
MONROEmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname meaning "from the mouth of the Roe". The Roe is a river in Ireland. Two famous bearers of the surname were American president James Monroe (1758-1831) and American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).
MORVENfScottishFrom a Scottish place name meaning "big gap". This was the name of Fingal's kingdom in James Macpherson's poems.
MUIRmScottishFrom a surname which was originally taken from a Scottish place name meaning "moor, fen". It also means "sea" in Scottish Gaelic.
MUNGOmScottishPossibly derived from Welsh
mwyn "gentle, kind". This was a nickname of the 6th-century Saint Kentigern.
NAOISEmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyMeaning unknown, presumably of Gaelic origin. In Irish legend he was the young man who eloped with
Deirdre, the beloved of
Conchobhar the king of Ulster. Conchobhar eventually succeeded in having Naoise murdered, which caused Deirdre to die of grief.
NAOMHÁNmIrish, ScottishMeans "little saint", derived from Irish
naomh "saint" combined with a diminutive suffix.
NEILmIrish, Scottish, EnglishFrom the Gaelic name
Niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly meaning "champion" or "cloud". This was the name of a semi-legendary 4th-century Irish king, Niall of the Nine Hostages.
... [more] NINIANmScottish, Irish, Ancient CelticMeaning unknown. It appears in a Latinized form
Niniavus, which could be from the Welsh name
NYNNIAW. This was the name of a 5th-century British saint who was apparently responsible for many miracles and cures. He is known as the Apostle to the Picts.
RANULFmScottishScottish form of the Old Norse name
Randúlfr, a cognate of
RANDOLF. Scandinavian settlers and invaders introduced this name to Scotland in the Middle Ages.
RHONAfScottishPossibly derived from the name of the Hebridean island
Rona, which means "rough island" in Gaelic.
RODERICKmEnglish, Scottish, WelshMeans "famous power" from the Germanic elements
hrod "fame" and
ric "power". This name was in use among the Visigoths; it was borne by their last king (also known as Rodrigo), who died fighting the Muslim invaders of Spain in the 8th century. It also had cognates in Old Norse and West Germanic, and Scandinavian settlers and Normans introduced it to England, though it died out after the Middle Ages. It was revived in the English-speaking world by Sir Walter Scott's poem 'The Vision of Don Roderick' (1811).
RONALDmScottish, EnglishScottish form of
RAGNVALDR, a name introduced to Scotland by Scandinavian settlers and invaders. It became popular outside Scotland during the 20th century. A famous bearer was American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
ROSSmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish and English surname which originally indicated a person from a place called
Ross (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), derived from Gaelic
ros meaning "promontory, headland". A famous bearer of the surname was Sir James Clark Ross (1800-1862), an Antarctic explorer.
ROYmScottish, English, DutchAnglicized form of
RUADH. A notable bearer was the Scottish outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (1671-1734). It is often associated with French
roi "king".
RUADHmIrish, ScottishGaelic byname meaning "red", often a nickname for one with red hair. This was the nickname of the Scottish outlaw Raibeart Ruadh MacGregor (1671-1734), known as Rob Roy in English.
SCOTTmEnglish, ScottishFrom an English and Scottish surname which referred to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic. It is derived from Latin
Scoti meaning "Gaelic speaker", with the ultimate origin uncertain.
SENGAfScottishSometimes explained as an anagram of
AGNES, but more likely derived from Gaelic
seang "slender".