Scottish Names

This name of a town in Scotland, one of the earliest recorded surnames in the whole British Isles, has more vitality than Kelsey. Distinctive in sound with a cool -o ending and a stylish K initial, it feels part Kayce, Kairo, and Kolson, part Carlisle, Cosmo, and Jago, with just a touch of Marlowe and Casper about it too.
 
Originally known as Calkou, Chalkeugh, or possibly Calchfynydd, the place name likely means "chalk ridge", "chalk spur" or "lime mountain". It is also found on the map in California as the name of a ghost town and appears as a place name in Australia and New Zealand too. 
 
Some will surely associate it with the character of Michael Kelso (usually referred to simply as Kelso), portrayed by Ashton Kutcher on That '70s Show. Others may be reminded however of the tragic and unsolved murder of Kelso Cochrane in the 1950s, whose death both emphasized the racial tensions in London and revealed a desire to unite a community. 
 
Given to around 24 boys in the US and 3 boys in the UK in a recent year, it remains a rare option.

Kelso

Could be a novel way for a boy's name to honor an ancestral Claire. 

Sinclair

A lesser-used presidential choice, with a charming, buccaneering sound. Fictional bearers include the Marvel Comics character James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, as well as the heroine of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Daisy Buchanan.

Buchanan

Not as popular for girls as Kylie or Kyla, but we prefer its simplicity. 

Kyle

With a hint of old-man clunkiness and modern surname style, Glendon is a name with Scottish and English origins. Connected to nature, it can mean "valley between the hills" (from its English roots) and "from the dark glen" (from Scottish Gaelic). It is also the name of an English place, whose name means "clean hill". 


Glendon

A partially anglicized form of two Scottish names — Seònaid or Seonag — Seona can be pronounced as SHAW-nuh or SHO-nuh. Since Seònaid (SHAW-nat) is a Scottish variation of Janet and Seonag (SHO-nak) is a variant of Joan, they share the same roots, meaning Seona is ultimately a Scottish feminine form of John.
 
More popularly appearing as Shona, a notable bearer is art administrator Seona Reid DBE. 
 
While SHAW-nuh and SHO-nuh are the more traditional pronunciations, see-o-nuh is sometimes used, either as a reinterpretation of the name, or if it is being used as an alternative spelling of Siona or Ciona.

Seona

A sweet Scottish short form of Alexander which is feeling newly appealing now the era of Sandra is far behind us. Sandy would also work well as a nickname for a child with pale red or dark blond hair.

Sandy

Elspeth is one of those names that never quite made it out of the British Isles--particularly Scotland, but possesses a winningly childlike charm. Elspeth was used by Sir Walter Scott for several of his female characters.
 Elspeth Huxley was a prolific Kenyan-born U.K. writer, best known for the autobiographical The Flame Trees of Thika--she was connected by marriage to the illustrous Huxley family.
 A close cousin is Elsbeth, as in the recurring character Elsbeth Tascioni on The Good Wife. Embeth is a more distant relation.

Elspeth

Mirren is a lively and attractive Scottish name, popular in its native country but best known outside Scotland as the surname of the English actor Dame Helen Mirren. It is thought to be a Scottish derivative of the name Marion, from Mary.

 Another possible origin for Mirren is as a modern spelling of a mysterious group of names that all seem to derive from the sixth century Irish saint Mirin who emigrated to Scotland and now is the patron saint of both the Glasgow suburb of Paisley and the game of football. The Cornish Merryn, best known as the name of the seacoast town St. Merryn, is also related.

Mirren

Ivor, a favorite choice for upscale characters in Brit Lit novels by authors like P.G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh, is an interesting and unusual name just waiting to be discovered by parents in this country. 
 Ivor Novello was the stage name of a popular Welsh actor and songwriter of the recent past who brought it to prominence in England.
 An equally appealing name is the related Ivo, which has the energetic impact of all names ending in 'o'.

Ivor

This undiscovered Scottish port city name has a nice, upbeat feel and lots of good nickname possibilities. 

Aberdeen

This is an unusual surname and geographical name of medieval Scottish origin that might serve as a possible alternative to the aging Keith, though it's a bit tough on the tongue. More popularly spelt Laith in Scotland itself, which happens to correspond to an Arabic name meaning 'lion'.

Leith

This name of the largest river in Scotland, renowned for its salmon fishing, is usually thought of as a nickname for Taylor. 

Long popular in Scotland, this attractive name is strictly-speaking the Gaelic version of Eleanor, but is also often considered part of the Helen family of names. After the Normans introduced it into the British Isles, it was transformed into Aileen or Evelyn. It has rarely been heard in the US, but it is slowly starting to be used here too.

Eilidh

Mally actually has several possible derivations beyond being a medieval nickname, ala Molly, for Mary . It might be a diminutive of names like Mallory, derived from French meaning "unfortunate" or "unlucky," or as a nickname for Amalia, meaning "work" or "labor" in Germanic languages. 

While Mally is more distinctive than the popular Molly, it sounds the same and so will cause endless confusion.

Mally

Stylized as McCrae, this attractive Scottish surname-name is found in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, as the surname of hero Augustus/Gus McCrae. Also spelled MacCrae or McRay among other variations, the meaning is variously given as son of grace or luck, or more literally as "son of Rath".
 
With appealing nickname Mac, McCrae was given to just 18 boys in a recent year and McCray to 7, though similar McKay and McCoy were more popular.

Mccrae

Not yet on the place-name map, this name has Shakespearean ties via the Duke Of Albany character in King Lear.

Albany

This name will tick a lot of boxes for many parents: unisex; trendy sound; pretty instinctive to pronounce; and some great namesakes including British chef Ainsley Harriott and American footballer Ainsley Battles. 

Ainsley

Boyce

Most parents would prefer to leave the car part parked in the garage. 

Carmichael

 may be familiar outside their native land, but many retain their distinctly Scottish style. While Scottish names may relate to both Ireland via their individual versions of the Gaelic language and to England via their shared heritage in the United Kingdom.

 today evidence that blend, with English names such as Emily and Jack sharing the stage with distinctly Scottish baby names such as Isla and Finlay. If you have Scottish heritage or simply love that beautiful land, you may be interested in finding a Scottish name for your baby.


Here, our full list of Scottish boys' names and Scottish girls' names, ranked by their current popularity on Nameberry.

Scottish Names with origin and popularity, including Scottish names for boys and names from Scotland for baby girls. (Page 9)