Scottish Surnames Used as First Names



 

Names like Mackenzie and Brody are becoming all the rage among certain American populations. Surnames have traditionally been used as first names in English-speaking countries for centuries now. You may want to dig into your family tree to find a suitable surname you'd like to use. If not, here is a list of surnames that would sound particularly nice as first names.

Most Scottish surnames are derived from either personal names or from place names. Many of the place names are in France, Belgium, or other places where names emigrated from.

You can also click here for a list of the Most popular surnames in Scotland if you'd like more ideas.

Name Gaelic Form meaning
Adie ? descendent of Adam (from Hebrew meaning 'red earth')
Aiken   descendent of Adam
Baird Mac a'Bhaird from a place name
Barclay ? From Berkeley in England
Blair ? plain, field
Boyd   derived from the Island of Boyd
Brodie Brothaigh derived from the Dutch word for "brother."
Bruce Brus from a French place name
Buchanan Canonach canon's seat
Burns   possibly 'dweller near a stream'
Cairns ? name for someone who lived near a cairn (pile of stones built by ancient people)
Cameron Camshron crooked nose
Campbell Caimbeul crooked mouth
Carmichael Mac ghille michael servant of St. Michael
Carson ? meaning is obscure
Clark ? a clerk or cleric (from Latin)
Craig creag name for someone who lived near a steep rocky place
Currie ? from Corrie, a place name meaning 'wet plain; marsh'
Dalling   from Dalling (in England) or Dowling (in Ireland)
Dalzell   from a place name
Drummond Drummann from a place name
Duncan Mac Dhonnchaidh son of the brown warrior
Elliot Elwold from an English place name
Erskine Arascain from a place name
Ferguson Mac Fhearghuis son of Fergus
Fletcher Mac an Fhleisteir arrow maker, from Old French
Forbes Foirbeis from a place name meaning "field" or "tract of ground"
Fraser Friseal the meaning is obscure, but it is aften associated with the French word for 'strawberry'
Garrow ? ?
Gibson ? son of Gilbert
Gillan/Gillon Mac Giolla Iain? possibly 'servant of St. John'
Gordon   from a place name, meaning 'hill fort"
Graham Greumach from an English place name
Grant Grand (from French) grand
Gregor/Gregg/Grieg Mac Ghregoir descendant of Gregory (from Greek, meaning 'vigilant')
Imrie/Imray ? from the Germanic Amalric, made from elements meaning 'work' and 'rule'
Innes Innis island
Irvine/Irving   from a place name meaning, possibly, 'green, fresh water'
Jamieson/Jameson Mac Sheumais son of James
Keir ? see Kerr
Keith Ceitach from a place name
Kelso   from a place name meaning perhaps, 'chalk ridge'
Kerr Cearr, Mac Ghillechearr from an Old Norse word-- a name for someone who lived near wet ground covered by brushwood.
Kinnaird ? from a place name meaning 'summit; peak'
Knox   derived from cnoc, the Gaelic word for 'hill'
Lachlan Lochlainn 'stranger'
Lamond/Lamont Mac Laomainn law man
Leith ? from a river name meaning 'wet.'
Lennie ? from a place name meaning 'bog; marsh'
Lennox ? from a place name meaning 'elm tree'
Lindsay Mac Ghille Fhionntaig from a Norman place name
Logan Loganaich, Macgill'innein possibly, "little hollow'
MacAdie ? son of Adam
Macalister Mac Alasdair son of Alexander
Macara/McCarra ? descendant of the charioteer; driver
Macaskill ? ?
Macaulay Mac Amhlaidh son of Olaf
Macbeth Mac Beatha 'son of life'
MacCale/McHale ? son of Cathal, meaning 'valor'
MacCall ? son of Cathmhaol, meaning 'battle chief'
MacCallen ? possibly, son of Ailean?
Maccallum Mac Chaluim son of Malcolm
MacCammon ? ?
MacCay Mac Aodh son of Aodh (fire)
MacClay ? ?
MacColl Mac Cholla son of Colla
MacCormack Mac Chormaig son of Cormac meaning possibly 'defiler' or 'charioteer'
MacCorrie ? possibly, 'son of Geoffrey'
Macgowan Mac S'Ghobhainn son of the smith
Macintosh Mac-an-Toisich 'son of the chief'
MacIntyre Mac an tSaoir son of the carpenter
Maciver Mac Iomhair son of Ivor
Mackay MacAoidh son of Aoidh (Aoidh is a Celtic god name meaning 'fire')
Mackendrick ? son of Henry
Mackenzie Mac Coinnich son of the fair one
MacKerras ? ?
McKinley Mac Fionnlaigh son of Fionnlagh
MacKinnon MacFhionghuain son of the fair-born
Maclaine MacGhiolla Eoin son of the devotee of St. John
Maclaren MacLabhruinn son of Laurence
Macrae MacRath son of grace
Macrory Mac Ruadhraidh son of the red-haired one
Maxwell ? from a place name (Maccus's Wiel)
Melrose ? from a place name meaning 'barren place'
Melville ? from a Norman place name meaning 'bad settlement'
Melvin ? another form of Melville
Mitchell ? derived from Michael, Hebrew for 'Who is like God?'
Montgomery   from a Norman place name
Morrison MacMuiris Son of Maurice
Munro Rothach man from Ro
Murray/Moray MacMhuirich from a place name
Ramsay Ramsaidh from a place name
Ross Ròs, Roìs from a place name
Ruthven   from a place name meaning either 'red marsh' or 'red river'
Scott Scot, Scotach scotsman
Shaw Seaghdha pithful
Stewart Stiubhard a steward
Stirling   from a place name
Strachan   from a place name
Wallace Uallis from a French place name
Wylie   possibly derived from 'Willie'