192 Scottish boy names to consider for your little laddie, from classic to cool
Considering a Scottish boy name for your baby?
The country of Scotland is home to some truly distinctive and masculine names thanks to its rich history and culture. This list has boy names to suit every taste, from traditional names to modern Scottish favorites.
Plenty of Scottish baby boy names and their meanings are sure to please, whether you are looking for a name that celebrates your Scottish heritage or simply one that stands out from the crowd.
Scottish names are so popular that many have become commonplace because they appeal to our ears and hearts.
“Scottish boy names are solid and traditional choices that appeal to the modern ear,” says Sophie Kihm, Editor-in-Chief of Nameberry.com. “With Scottish names, you get striking letters like V and X without sacrificing classic roots, which drives names like Knox and Evander up the charts,” she continues.
As the torch passes between generations, classic Scottish names are still traditional rather than trendy. “Classic choices now considered grandpa names in the U.S. — Bruce, Douglas, and Irving, to name a few — all have Scottish origins, as do many of the quintessential Millennial names (today’s dads): Kyle, Colin, Cameron, and Ross,” Kihm says.
Today, parents are choosing more creative names with deep Scottish origins. “A new wave of Scottish boy names is trending. Today’s parents frequently use Scottish boy names like Callum, Camden, Dashiell, Evander, Knox, Lachlan, Lennox, and Murray.” Kihm tells TODAY.com.
Scottish boy names
Here are Scottish boy names and their meanings, according to Namberry.com:
Aberdeen: Scottish place name
Adair: oak tree ford
Adelbert: noble, bright
Ailbert: noble, bright
Ailean: handsome, cheerful
Ainsley: solitary meadow
Alasdair: defender of men
Alastair: defender of men
Alick: defender of men
Angus: one strength
Arailt: army ruler
Archibald: truly brave
Argyle: an Irishman from the land of the Gaels
Arran: ridged island
Baird: minstrel, poet
Balfour: the village by the pasture
Ballantine: worship place
Balliol: fortification
Bell: ringer of the bell
Blair: dweller on the plain
Bowie: blond
Boyce: lives by the woods
Boyd: blond
Breck: speckled
Brice: speckled, freckled
Brody: broad eye or broad island
Bruce: from the brushwood thicket
Bryce: speckled, freckled
Buchanan: place of the cannon
Burns: from the burnt house
Caelan: slender
Cairn: mound of rocks
Callum: dove
Cam: crooked nose
Camden: winding valley
Cameron: crooked nose
Campbell: crooked mouth
Carmichael: fort of Michael
Carson: son of the marsh dweller
Clyde: Scottish river name
Colin: people of victory; pup
Collins: people of victory; pup
Craig: from the rocks
Dàibhidh: beloved
Dalziel: the small field
Dashiell: Anglicization of French surname de Chiel
Dickson: son of Dick
Dixon: son of Dick
Don: proud chief
Donald: proud chief
Dougal: dark stranger
Douglas: black water
Drummond: ridge
Duncan: dark warrior
Dundee: Scottish place-name
Dunham: brown hill homestead
Dunn: brown
Eachann: keeper of horses
Earvin: Variation of Irvin; handsome, fair of face
Errol: spelling variation of Earl
Erskine: from the high cliffs
Ervin: respected friend
Euan: born of the yew tree
Evander: bow warrior; strong man
Ewan: born of the yew tree
Fairbairn: fair-haired child
Farquhar: friendly man
Fergus: man of force
Fife: place name
Fifer: piper
Finley: fair-haired hero
Fitz: son of
Forbes: field
Fraser: strawberry
Galloway: stranger
Gerlad: spear strength
Gibby :shining pledge
Gilleabart: shining pledge
Gillespie: bishop’s servant
Glasgow: Scottish place-name
Glen: a narrow valley
Glenn: a narrow valley
Gordon: great hill
Graeme: gravelly homestead
Graham: gravelly homestead
Grant: large
Halley: hall or woodland clearing
Hamish: supplanter
Harailt: army ruler
Hume: Scottish variation of Holmes
Iagan: little fire
Ian: the Lord is gracious
Innes: from the river island
Irvin: handsome, fair of face
Irving: green river, sea friend
Ivor: yew
Jamie: supplanter
Jock: Scottish variation of Jack; supplanter
Joffrey: pledge of peace
Keith: wood
Kelso: chalk ridge
Kelvin: narrow or wooded river
Kendrick: royal ruler, champion
Kenny: born of fire, handsome
Kenzie: son of Kenneth
Kerr: living near wet ground
Kester: one who carries Christ
Knox: round hill
Kyle :narrow spit of land
Lachlan: from the fjord-land
Laird :lord of the land
Leith: Scottish river name
Lennox: elm grove
Leslie: garden of holly
Lochlan: land of the Vikings
Logan: little hollow
Ludovic: famous warrior
Lundy: Monday’s child
Lyle: someone who lives on an island
Mac: son of
Macallister: son of Alastair
Macarthur: son of Arthur
Macaulay: son of righteousness
Macdonald: son of Donald
Macgregor: son of Gregor
Mack: son of
Mackenzie: son of Kenneth
Maclean: servant of Saint John
Malcolm: devotee of St. Colomba
Maxwell: great stream
Mcarthur: son of Arthur
Mcewan: son of Ewan
Mckinley: son of the fair hero
Melville: settlement on infertile land
Menzies: to reside, abide
Mingus: tenants of a manor
Mirren: drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved
Monroe: mouth of the Roe River
Muir: dweller near the moor
Mungo: my pet
Munro: mouth of the Roe River
Murray: from the land by the sea
Naim: river with alder trees; happy
Nairn: river with alder trees
Napier: producer or seller of table linens
Nicol: medieval variation of Nicholas
Ninian: meaning unknown
Niven: little saint
Norrie: light
Norville: northern town
Paisley: cemetery
Perth: thornbush thicket
Philbin: lover of horses
Pilbin: lover of horses
Pollock: pit
Rab: bright fame
Rabbie: bright fame
Raghnall: counsel power
Raibeart: bright fame
Raibeartag: bright fame
Ranald: powerful counsel
Ranulph: shield-wolf
Roban: bright fame
Ronson: son of Ronald
Ross: upland, peninsula
Rowan: rowan tree; little redhead
Rusk: marsh, bog
Ruskin: from a family of tanners
Sanders: defending men
Sandy: defending men
Seumas: supplanter
Sholto: sower
Sinclair: from the town of St. Clair
Skye: Scottish place-name
Stewart: steward
Stuart: steward
Tavish: twin
Tay: tailor
Teague: bard, poet
Thane: clan chieftain
Tòmag: variation of Thomas
Torquil: Thor’s cauldron
Tyree: from Tyrie
Uilleam: Scottish variation of William
Wallace: a Welshman
Wiley: resolute protection; from Wylye
Wilkie: resolute protection
Wylei: resolute protection
Wylie: resolute protection
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
