Scottish Surnames

Etymology and Origins Acheson is a Scottish surname that originated as a patronymic form of the name Atkinson, itself meaning "son of Atkin." Atkin is a medieval diminutive of the personal name Adam. Thus, Acheson ultima...

Aitken is a Scottish surname meaning "little Adam." It is derived from the medieval given name Atkin, a diminutive of Adam. The name Adam, from Hebrew meaning “man” or “to be red,” is famously borne by the first man in t...

Alan is a surname of English and Scottish origin, ultimately derived from the masculine given name Alan 1. The personal name Alan was introduced to England and Scotland by Breton followers of William the Conqueror after...

Allaway is a Scottish surname with topographic origins, derived from a place name. The name is thought to combine the Old Scots or Gaelic elements alla, meaning "wild," and mhagh, meaning "field," thus translating to "wi...

Atchison is a Scots form of Atkinson, itself a patronymic surname meaning "son of Atkin." Atkin is a medieval diminutive of Adam, which comes from the Hebrew word for "man" (adam) or possibly from adam meaning "to be red...

Etymology and OriginsBaird is a Scottish surname, primarily known as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac an Baird. This patronymic name translates to "son of the bard," referring to a professional poet or storytell...

Barber is an occupational surname of English and Scottish origin, referring to someone who cut hair or shaved beards for a living. The name derives from the Old French barbeor (later barbier), which itself comes from Lat...

Beattie is a Scottish surname derived from the medieval name Battie, which originated as a diminutive of Bartholomew. This surname follows a common naming pattern in which familiar forms of given names evolved into hered...

Beatty is a surname with Scottish origins, ultimately a variant of Beattie. The name has two primary etymological sources. One traces it to a medieval diminutive of Bartholomew, derived from the pet form “Battie” or simi...

Begbie is a Scottish toponymic surname, originating from a town of the same name in East Lothian, Scotland. The name is derived from the Old Norse personal name Baggi, a byname meaning "bag, pack" or also "ram" (a male s...

Blackwood is an English and Scottish surname of toponymic origin, derived from any of the various places named Blackwood. The name itself comes from the Old English words blæc (black) and wudu (wood), meaning "black wood...

Blain is a Scottish surname derived from the Irish given name Bláán. This personal name originates from Old Irish blá meaning "yellow" combined with a diminutive suffix, giving it the sense of "little yellow one" or "yel...

Breckenridge is a surname of English and Scottish origin, ultimately derived from the place name Brackenrig in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The name is composed of two northern Middle English elements: braken meaning 'bracken'...

Breckinridge is a surname of English and Scottish origin, a variant spelling of Breckenridge. The name originally referred to someone from Brackenrig in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The place name derives from northern Middle...

Etymology and OriginBuchanan is a surname of Scottish origin, derived from a place name in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The region name comes from Scottish Gaelic Both Chanain, meaning "house of the canon." This etymology su...

Burns is an English and Scottish surname with topographic origins, derived from the Old English word burna, meaning "stream, spring" or "brook." The name was originally given to someone who lived near a stream or spring,...

Calhoun is a Scottish surname that is a variant of Colquhoun, a name derived from a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic. As a common Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic Colquhoun, Calhoun is...

The surname Carr is a variant of the Scottish and English surname Kerr. Both names share a common origin, deriving from a Scots word meaning "thicket" or "marsh," which itself comes from Old Norse kjarr. This toponymic o...

Clacher is a Scottish surname with roots in the Gaelic language, where it is derived from clachair, meaning "stonemason". The name reflects an occupational origin, indicating a family trade in stoneworking, a common craf...

Coburn is a surname of English and Scottish origin, considered a variant of Cockburn. The name Cockburn originally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire, Scotland. The place name is derived fr...

Cochran is a Scottish surname, most frequently a variant of Cochrane, which itself is derived from a place name in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The earliest known appearance of the name dates to the 14th century in Dumbartons...

Cochrane is a Scottish surname with multiple possible origins. Most commonly, it is a habitational name from the estate of Cochrane (earlier Coueran or Coubran) in the parish of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The place...

Cockburn is a Scottish and English habitational surname derived from a place of the same name in Berwickshire, Scotland. The place name originates from Old English cocc, meaning “rooster” or “cock,” and burna, meaning “s...

Etymology Colquhoun (pronounced kə-HOON) is a Scottish habitational surname derived from the barony of Colquhoun in Dunbartonshire. The name likely originates from Scottish Gaelic elements, possibly còil or cùil meaning...

EtymologyCoutts is a Scottish surname derived from the name of the town of Cults in Aberdeenshire. The place name Cults comes from a Gaelic word meaning "woods" (the same root as the Scottish Gaelic word coillte, meaning...

Cruickshank (/ˈkruːkʃæŋk/ KROOK-shank) is a Scottish surname. It originated as a nickname for someone with a crooked or deformed leg, derived from the Middle Scots words cruik (meaning "bend" or "hook") and shank (meanin...

Cummins is a surname of English, Irish, and Scottish origin, derived from the Old Breton given name Cunmin, a cognate of Cuimín. Introduced to Britain at the time of the Norman Conquest, the name reflects early medieval...

Cunningham is a prominent Scottish surname with territorial origins in the historical region of Ayrshire, Scotland. The name derives from the place name Cunningham, which is believed to originate from the Gaelic term cui...

Dallas 2 is a Scottish surname derived from the place name Dallas in Moray, Scotland. The toponym likely originates from Gaelic elements, possibly meaning "meadow dwelling" (from dail "meadow" and fas "dwelling"). The su...

Darrow is a Scottish habitational surname, derived from the place Darroch near Falkirk in Stirlingshire. The place name is believed to originate from the Gaelic darach, meaning "oak tree." This ties the name to the lands...

Davies is a patronymic Welsh surname meaning "beloved", derived as a variant of Davis. Ultimately, it traces back to the Hebrew name David (from דָּוִד). It is the second most common surname in Wales, often sharing that...

Donne is a surname of Irish and Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word donn, meaning "brown". It was originally a nickname for someone with brown hair or a dark complexion. The surname is a variant of Dunn, which...

Duffy 2 is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Dhuibhshíthe, which means "son of Duibhshíth". The given name Duibhshíth is composed of the Gaelic elements dubh meaning "black" and síth meaning "peace", so the nam...

Dunbar is a Scottish locational surname derived from the town of Dunbar in East Lothian, Scotland. The town's name comes from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and barr meaning "summit", describing its position on a rocky promon...

Duncanson is a Scottish surname with a patronymic origin, meaning "son of Duncan." The given name Duncan itself is an Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh, which comes from the Old Irish elements donn "brown"...

Dunn is a surname of English, Irish, and Scottish origin, derived from the Old English word dunn meaning "dark" or the Gaelic donn meaning "brown," originally used to describe a person's hair color or complexion. The Iri...

Fairbairn is a Scottish and English surname. Its meaning is devotional in nature, derived from the Middle English and Scots phrase "fair bairn," meaning "beautiful child" or "handsome child." The name originally served a...

Falconer is an English and Scottish surname, a variant of Faulkner. Both surnames derive from the same occupational source: a keeper of falcons, one who breeds or trains birds of prey for hawking. The root word is Middle...

Faulkner is an English and Scottish occupational surname meaning "keeper of falcons". It derives from Middle English and Scots faulcon, from Late Latin falco, of Germanic origin. The surname originally referred to someon...

Ferguson is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Fergus." It originated in Scotland and Ireland, where it is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Macfhearghus, reflecting the deep-rooted Celtic tradition of identifying indi...

Friseal is the Scottish Gaelic form of the surname Fraser. In Gaelic, it is used as both a surname and a male given name, equivalent to the English Fraser.EtymologyThe surname Fraser originates from the Norman French de...

Gibbs is a patronymic surname of English and Scottish origin, meaning "son of Gib". The name traces back through its root, Gilbert, a popular medieval name brought to England by the Normans. Etymology The name Gib arose...

Gilmore is an Irish and Scottish surname with a deeply religious origin. Derived from the Scottish Gaelic MacGilleMhoire or the Irish Gaelic Mac Giolla Mhuire, it means "son of the servant of Moire." Moire is the Scottis...

Gilmour is a variant of the Irish and Scottish surname Gilmore. The name originates from the Gaelic personal names MacGilleMhoire (Scottish Gaelic) or Mac Giolla Mhuire (Irish Gaelic), meaning "son of the servant of Moir...

Grieve is a occupational surname of Scottish origin, derived from the Middle English term grieve meaning "steward" or "farm manager." The title designated an overseer of a landed estate, often responsible for managing ag...

Hardie is a Scottish surname, most commonly a variant of Hardy. The root name Hardy derives from the Old French and Middle English word hardi, meaning "bold, daring, hardy," which itself comes from the Germanic root *har...

EtymologyHepburn is an English and Scottish surname of toponymic origin, derived from a place name in northern England. The name combines the Old English elements hēah ("high") and byrġen ("burial mound"), thus meaning "...

Holme is a locative surname of English and Scottish origin, derived from two possible sources. Primarily, it referred to a person who lived near a small island or a piece of dry land in a marsh or fen, from the northern...

Holmes is an English surname that originated as a variant of Holme. The etymology of the root name Holme is nuanced: it may refer either to someone living by a small island, from northern Middle English holm (derived fro...

Hughes 2 is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh." This surname is primarily associated with Irish and Scottish usage, reflecting the historical Anglicization of Gaelic names under Engl...

Hume is a surname of English and Scottish origin, functioning as a variant of Holme. The root name Holme has two possible origins: it may denote someone living by a small island, stemming from the northern Middle English...

The surname Innes 2 is of Scottish origin, deriving from the given name Aonghus.Etymology and RootsThe root Aonghus comes from Old Irish Óengus, which likely means "one strength", from óen "one" and guss "force, strength...

Innes is a Scottish surname derived from a place name, originating from the Gaelic word inis, meaning "island". The surname likely referred to someone who lived on or near an island, or came from a location called Innes,...

Irvine is a Scottish surname originating from the town of Irvine in North Ayrshire. The town’s name is derived from the River Irvine, itself from Brythonic elements meaning "green water". This geographic origin is typica...

Jardine is a Scottish and English surname with occupational origins, meaning "garden" and denoting someone who worked as a gardener. It is a variant of the more common surname Gardner and its other forms, including Garde...

Johnston is a Scottish surname derived from the name of a town in Dumfriesshire, meaning "John's town". The surname is a habitation name, indicating that the original bearer came from that location. The town's name is co...

Kelly 2 is a Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word coille, meaning 'grove'. The name originates from a place name in Scotland, likely referring to a location near a wood or grove. The surname is associated with s...

EtymologyKendrick 3 is a Scottish surname, a variant of McKendrick. The name McKendrick itself is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic MacEanruig, meaning "son of Eanraig." Eanraig is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the Ge...

Kinley is a Scottish surname that is an Anglicanized form of MacFhionnlaigh, a Gaelic patronymic meaning "son of Fionnlagh." The root name Fionnlagh (older Findláech) derives from Old Irish elements finn "white, blessed"...

Etymology & OriginsKinnaird is a Scottish habitational surname originating from the name of a place in Scotland. The place name derives from Scottish Gaelic An Ceann Ard (also rendered ceann aird), meaning "high head...