The Top Scottish Names You Never Hear
The brand new Scottish baby name data for 2021 has just been released!
Contemporary favorites Olivia and Jack top the charts again, and the fastest rising names of the year include Lyla, Blake, Rowan and Lara for girls, and Carson, Struan, Myles and Elijah for boys.
Top Scottish names known the world over include Logan and Lewis, Isla and Isobel. But there are many more uniquely Scottish baby names which are popular in their native land, but little known elsewhere.
We delve into the new data to shine a light on the authentic Scottish names – both well known and virtually unique – that are beloved by Scottish parents.
Scottish Names: What Qualifies?
Trying to isolate specifically Scottish names is made challenging by their proximity to many Irish names.
Lots of Gaelic names, like Angus and Fionnuala, have been used in both Ireland and Scotland since the early Middle Ages. Some have a specific Scots Gaelic form, such as Scottish Callum vs Irish Colm, or Seonaid vs Sinead. Other Irish names, such as Ryan and Orla, have seen only relatively recent usage in Scotland.
To further complicate things, there are names which are native to other countries that have proved particularly popular in Scotland. Janet, Flora, Esme, Hector, Archibald and Magnus are all names that feel typically Scottish, even though they aren’t indigenous.
And on the flip side, there are also names like Annabel and Elsie, Carson and Jamie that feel English – even though they started life in Scotland.
Here, we are defining Scottish names as those which originated in Scotland, derive from Scottish topography, or are Gaelic names which have been used in Scotland since at least the 12th century.
Below is a list of all the indigenous Scottish names in the Scottish Top 500 for 2021. Names with the same ranking had the same number of births.
Top Scottish Names for Girls
The top Scottish girl name in Scotland is Isla, also well used in its authentic geographical spelling Islay (#286). Other Scottish island names popular in Scotland include Ailsa, Iona, Skye and Vaila.
See our full list of Scottish girl names for even more beautiful options below the Top 500 in Scotland, like Caledonia, Greer, Ishbel, Mairead and Marsali.
Isla (#3)
Maisie (#17)
Eilidh (#20)
Skye (#35)
Bonnie (#39)
Elsie (#58)
Iona (#66)
Mirren (#79)
Lexi (#87)
Alba (#93)
Arabella (#96)
Ailsa (#105)
Blair (#164)
Isobel (#164)
Breagha (#261)
Una (#261)
Annabel (#286)
Islay (#286)
Morven (#286)
Vaila (#286)
Mhairi (#363)
Paisley (#363)
Ailish (#396)
Catriona (#396)
Mairi (#396)
Ailie (#442)
Mackenzie (#442)
Elspeth (#485)
Monroe (#485)
Top Scottish Names for Boys
The top Scottish boy name in Scotland is also an island name: Harris. Other popular picks inspired by Scotland’s unique geography include Angus, Arran, Cairn, Innes and Struan – a fashionable choice from the Scottish Gaelic struthan “little stream”.
Because there are so many great options in the Scottish Top 500 for boys, we’ve omitted those Scottish names that feel most “expected” in the US, such as Logan, Cameron, Ian, Kyle and Scott.
See our full list of Scottish boy names for even more cool choices below the Top 500 in Scotland, like Atholl, Aulay, Barclay, Keir, Oban, Ossian, Tate and Thorfinn.
Harris (#5)
Finlay (#6)
Lewis (#7)
Rory (#9)
Brodie (#11)
Finn (#18)
Jamie (#44)
Arran (#54)
Hamish (#54)
Callum (#56)
Angus (#61)
Carson (#66)
Blair (#70)
Fraser (#70)
Lachlan (#75)
Ruaridh (#78)
Fergus (#86)
Murray (#86)
Innes (#91)
Struan (#95)
Euan (#115)
Lyle (#143)
Findlay (#186)
Gregor (#191)
Campbell (#199)
Kerr (#207)
Munro (#207)
Alasdair (#213)
Douglas (#213)
Mac (#221)
Duncan (#233)
Lennox (#233)
Maxwell (#244)
Ross (#244)
Blaine (#297)
Murdo (#297)
Cailean (#328)
Nairn (#353)
Sorley (#353)
Grant (#372)
Lomond (#372)
Ramsay (#372)
Wallace (#372)
Cairn (#401)
Kenzie (#401)
Knox (#401)
Malcolm (#401)
Sandy (#401)
Alec (#437)
Bruce (#437)
Lochie (#437)
Ritchie (#437)
Laith (#477)
Reid (#477)