From the land of lochs, castles, and tartan come Scottish boy names that beguile and delight. Many of these time-tested appellations have traveled across the pond and found their place on many birth certificates in America. The most popular Scottish boy names are Douglas and Malcolm with a new favorite, Knox, also enjoying favor today. Still other, rarer names from the Highlands are also worthy of your attention from Hamish to Baird to Lachlan.
We wanted to present you with an extensive list of Scottish boy names for you to discover some excellent possibilities that celebrate your family’s heritage. It’s fine if you don’t have Scottish heritage, of course. There are so many timeless Scotch baby names that any family can love. Let’s take a look at some handsome options for your son. Slàinte Mhath!
Scottish Boy Names That Start With A
- Alasdair – A Scottish form of Alexander, meaning “defending men”
- Alec – A popular diminutive form of Alexander in Scotland and beyond
- Angus – Angus is the Anglicized form of Gaelic names, Aonghus and Aonghas, meaning “one strength”
- Archibald – A Scottish name from German, meaning “truly brave”
- Archie – A diminutive form of Archibald that works well on its own
More Scottish Names That Start With A
- Alan – A Celtic name that has been in use since the Middle Ages, meaning “handsome”
- Arran – A Scottish place name, meaning “ridged island”
- Aulay – A name of Scottish and Manx origin, meaning “descendent of the ancestor”
- Ainsley – A Scottish unisex name, meaning “peaceful meadow”
- Aodh – A Gaelic name that derives from the Celtic sun god, meaning “fire”
Scottish Names for Boys That Start With B
- Baird – A Scottish occupational name, meaning “minstrel” or “poet”
- Barclay – A Scottish and English name, meaning “from the birch trees”
- Blaine – A unisex name found in both Irish and Scottish traditions, meaning “slender”
- Brodie – A Scottish surname-name, meaning “little ridge”
- Bruce – A popular Scottish name today that comes from the surname Braces, which belonged to a powerful Scottish family, meaning “of the brushwood thicket”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With C
- Cairn – A name meaning “mound of rocks”
- Callen – A Scottish Gaelic name that means “rock”
- Callum – A Scottish name from Latin, a form of Columba, meaning “dove”
- Campbell – A Scottish surname-name, meaning “crooked mouth”
- Christie – An Irish and Scottish form of the name Christopher, meaning “bearer of Christ”
More Scottish Boy Names Starting With C
- Colin – A name found in both Irish and Scottish tradition, meaning “pup”
- Craig – A name meaning “of the rocks”
- Cuddy – A Scottish diminutive form of Cuthbert, meaning “famous”
- Carson – A name found in Irish and Scottish, meaning “descendent of the marsh-dwellers”
- Calder – A name found across the UK, from Celtic, meaning “stream” or “rocky water”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With D
- Dougal – A name meaning “dark stranger”
- Douglas – A name meaning “black water”
- Doug – A pet form of the previous two names
- Duncan – A name meaning “dark warrior”
- Dunn – A Scottish name meaning “dark” or “brown”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With E
- Errol – A Scottish form of the name Earl, meaning “noble title”
- Euan – An Anglicized form of the Gaelic name, Eoghann, meaning “born from the yew tree”
- Eunan – A name from Gaelic found in Irish and Scottish tradition, meaning “Adam” or “great fear” or “little horror”
- Ewan – A variant of Euan, also considered the Scottish equivalent of John
- Evander – A name found in Scottish, Greek, and Norse traditions, meaning “bow warrior” or “strong man”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With F
- Fergus – A name meaning “forceful man”
- Finlay – A Scottish royal name (belonging to Macbeth’s father), meaning “fair-headed hero”
- Finn – A name found in both Irish and Scottish traditions, meaning “fair”
- Fraser – A Scottish name from French, meaning “strawberry”
- Fulton – A Scottish place name in Ayrshire, meaning “village fields”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With G
- Gavin – A name meaning “white hawk”
- Glen – A name from Gaelic, meaning “valley”
- Gordon – A name meaning “great hill”
- Graeme – A Scottish form of Graham, meaning “gravelly homestead”
- Grant – A Scottish name from French, meaning “large”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With H
- Hamish – A Scottish form of James, meaning “supplanter”
- Harris – A Scottish name, meaning “son of Harry”
- Hector – A Scottish form of the Irish name Eachann, meaning “keeper of horses”
- Hew – A Scottish name meaning “heart,” or a form of Hugh, meaning “intellect”
- Hammill – A Scottish and English name, meaning “scarred”
Scottish Names for Boys That Start With I
- Iain – A Gaelic form of Ian, both are used in Scotland as forms of John
- Innes – A Scottish name from the Gaelic word for island, meaning “from the river island”
- Irvin – A name meaning “handsome” or “fair”
- Irving – A name meaning “green river” or “sea friend”
- Ivor – A Scottish variation of the Welsh name, Ifor, meaning “yew”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With J
- Jack – The most popular name for boys born in Scotland today, from English, meaning “God is gracious”
- Jackson – An extremely popular name in Scotland, from English, meaning “Jack’s son”
- Jaimie – A Scottish form of James, meaning “supplanter”
- Jock – A Scottish form of Jack, from English, itself a form of John
- Jaimieson – A name meaning “son of Jaimie”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With K
- Kerr – A name meaning “someone who lived near wet ground”
- Keith – A name meaning “wood”
- Kelso – A Scottish place name, meaning “chalk ridge”
- Kendric – A name from McKendrick, meaning “royal ruler” or “victor”
- Kenneth – An appellation found in both Irish and Scottish traditions, meaning “handsome” or “born of fire”
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More Scottish Boy Names Starting With K
- Kenzie – A short form of MacKenzie, meaning “son of Kenneth”
- Kester – A Scottish variation of Christopher, meaning “bearer of Christ”
- Kirk – A name that arrived in Scotland following a Viking conquest, Kirk is of Norse origin and means “church”
- Knox – A name meaning “round hill”
- Kyle – A name meaning “narrow strip of land”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With L
- Lachlan – A name meaning “of the fjord-land”
- Laith – A name belonging to a Scottish river in Edinburgh, meaning “wet”
- Lennox – A name meaning “elm grove”
- Leslie – A name meaning “garden of holly”
- Lyle – A name meaning “dweller on an island”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With M
- Mac – A name meaning “son of”
- Macaulay – A name meaning “son of righteousness”
- Malcolm – A name meaning “devotee of St. Colomba”
- Maxwell – A name meaning “great stream”
- Mingus – A Scottish form of the name Menzies, meaning “tenants of the manor”
More Scottish Boy Names That Start With M
- Muir – A surname-name, meaning “dweller near the moor”
- Mungo – A Scottish nickname-name, meaning “my pet”
- Munro – A name meaning “mouth of the river Ro”
- Murdo – A shortened form of Murdoch, meaning “mariner”
- Murray – An appellation meaning “settlement by the sea”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With N
- Nachton – A name meaning “pure”
- Nairn – A name meaning “river with alder trees”
- Niall – A name of Gaelic origin, related to Neil, meaning “cloud”
- Ninian – A name found in both Scottish and Irish traditions, the meaning is unknown
- Niven – A name meaning “little saint”
Scottish Boy Names Starting With O or P
- Ogilhinn – A habitational name, meaning “dweller from the mountaintop”
- Oidhche – A name meaning “night”
- Paden – Potentially from English, meaning “path hill” or related to the Scottish surname Mac Páidín, meaning “royal”
- Padraig – A Gaelic name found in both Irish and Scottish traditions, meaning “noble”
- Pherson – An occupational name meaning “parson” or “priest”
Scottish Boy Name That Start With R
- Rab – An English and Scottish diminutive form of Robert, meaning “bright fame”
- Rae – A name meaning “grace”
- Ramsey – A Scottish place name, meaning “wild island” or “low-lying island”
- Ranulf – A form of Randolph, meaning “shield + wolf” or “wolf advice”
- Ross – A name meaning “headland” or “peninsula”
More Scottish Boy Names Starting With R
- Rodric – A Scottish short form of Roderick, from German, meaning “famed ruler”
- Roy – A name meaning “red”
- Ruairi – A Gaelic name and form of Rory, meaning “red king”
- Ruiseart – A Scottish Galic name, a form of Richard, meaning “brave ruler”
- Ruskin – A name meaning “from the lineage of tanners”
Scottish Boy Names That Start With S
- Sandy – A Scottish and English diminutive form of Alexander, meaning “defending men”
- Seumas – Another Scottish form of James, meaning “supplanter”
- Sholto – A Scottish name from Gaelic, meaning “fruitful” or “sower”
- Sorley – A name found in both Scottish and Irish traditions meaning “from Somhairle” or “summer sailor”
- Stewart – A occupational name, meaning “steward”
Scottish Boy Names Starting With T
- Tadgh – A Gaelic name meaning “poet” or “philosopher”
- Tasgall – A name meaning “god’s helmet” or “god’s cauldron”
- Tavish – A Scottish form of Thomas, meaning “twin”
- Thorfinn – An ancient Norse name that is still in regular use in the Orkney Islands in Scotland, meaning “Finn of Thor”
- Torquil – Yet another Scottish name adopted from the Vikings, meaning “Thor’s cauldron”
Scottish Names for Boys Starting With U
- Ualan – A Scottish form of Valentine, from Latin, meaning “vigor”
- Uarraig – A name meaning “of fierce pride”
- Uilleam – A Scottish form of William, meaning “resolute protector”
- Uisdean – A name meaning “eternal stone”
- Urquhart – A name meaning “from the fount on the knoll”
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Final Scottish Boy Names
- Wallace – A Scottish and English name, meaning “foreigner” or “stranger”
- Wally – A Scottish diminutive form of Wallace
- Wiley – A Scottish diminutive form of William, meaning “resolute protection”
There you go! Now, you know tons of Scottish boy names to potentially use for your soon. Choosing a name can be a real chore if you don’t know where to start. Thankfully, you’re on the right track by choosing names that originated in Scotland. They represent some of the most beloved names in America today. Happy baby name hunting!