AINSLEY ScotsFrom a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English
anne "alone, solitary" or
ansetl "hermitage" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
ALLAWAY ScottishFrom a Scottish place name, itself derived from
alla "wild" and
mhagh "field".
BEGBIE ScottishFrom the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse given name
BAGGI and
býr "farm, settlement".
BLAIR ScottishFrom any one of several places of this name in Scotland, which derive from Gaelic
blár meaning "plain, field, battlefield".
BOYD ScottishFrom the name of the Scottish island of Bute (
Bód in Gaelic), which is of unknown meaning.
BRECKENRIDGE Scottish, EnglishOriginally indicated someone from Brackenrig in Lanarkshire, derived from northern Middle English
braken meaning "bracken" (via Old Norse
brækni) and
rigg meaning "ridge" (via Old Norse
hryggr).
BRODIE ScottishOriginally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It is probably from Gaelic
broth meaning "ditch, mire".
BRUCE ScottishPossibly from the name of the town of Brix in Normandy, which is of unknown meaning. It was brought to Scotland in the 12th century by the Anglo-Norman baron Robert de Brus. It was later borne by his descendant Robert the Bruce, a hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland.
BUCHANAN ScottishFrom the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.
BURNS (1) English, ScottishDerived from Old English
burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
CAMERON ScottishMeans
"crooked nose" from Gaelic
cam "crooked" and
sròn "nose".
CAMPBELL ScottishFrom a Gaelic nickname
cam béul meaning
"wry or crooked mouth". The surname was later represented in Latin documents as
de bello campo meaning "of the fair field".
CARSON ScottishMeaning uncertain, possibly from the town of Courson in Normandy.
COCKBURN Scottish, EnglishOriginally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English
cocc "rooster" and
burna "stream".
COLQUHOUN ScottishFrom a place name meaning
"narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.
COUTTS ScottishFrom the name of the town of Cults in Aberdeenshire, derived from a Gaelic word meaning "woods".
CRAIG ScottishDerived from Gaelic
creag meaning
"crag, rocks", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.
CUNNINGHAM ScottishFrom the name of place in the Ayrshire district of Scotland. It possibly comes from Gaelic
cuinneag meaning "milk pail".
DARROW ScottishHabitational name from Darroch near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, said to be named from Gaelic
darach meaning "oak tree".
DAVIS English, ScottishMeans
"son of DAVID". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).
DONNE Scottish, IrishFrom Gaelic
donn meaning
"brown", a nickname for a person with brown hair.
DOUGLAS ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Dubhghlas, which meant
"dark river" from
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). This is the name of various places in Scotland, such as a tributary of the River Clyde.
DRUMMOND ScottishFrom various Scottish place names that are derived from Gaelic
drumainn, a derivative of
druim meaning
"ridge".
DUNBAR ScottishFrom the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland, derived from Gaelic
dùn meaning "fort" and
barr meaning "summit", so called from its situation on a rock that projects into the sea.
DUNN English, Scottish, IrishDerived from Old English
dunn "dark" or Gaelic
donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.
FAULKNER English, ScottishOccupational name meaning
"keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots
faulcon, from Late Latin
falco, of Germanic origin.
FRASER ScottishMeaning unknown, originally Norman French
Fresel, possibly from a lost place name in France.
GLENN ScottishDerived from Gaelic
gleann "valley". A famous bearer was American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).
GORDON ScottishFrom the name of a place in Berwickshire, Scotland, derived from Brythonic words meaning
"spacious fort".
GRAHAM ScottishDerived from the English place name
Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by William de Graham.
GRIEVE ScottishOccupational name meaning
"steward, farm manager" in Middle English, related to the German title
Graf.
HAMILTON English, ScottishFrom an English place name, derived from Old English
hamel "crooked, mutilated" and
dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).
HEPBURN English, ScottishFrom northern English place names meaning
"high burial mound" in Old English. It was borne by Mary Queen of Scot's infamous third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwall. Other famous bearers include the actresses Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
HOLME English, ScottishReferred either to someone living by a small island (northern Middle English
holm, from Old Norse
holmr) or near a holly tree (Middle English
holm, from Old English
holegn).
HOLMES English, ScottishVariant of
HOLME. A famous fictional bearer was Sherlock Holmes, a detective in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.
HOUSTON ScottishFrom a place name meaning "
HUGH's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow.
HUNTER English, ScottishOccupational name that referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English
hunta.
IRVING Scottish, EnglishOriginally derived from a Scottish place name (in North Ayrshire) meaning "green water".
KEITH ScottishFrom a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element
cet meaning
"wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.
KERR ScottishFrom Scots
kerr meaning
"rough wet ground", ultimately from Old Norse
kjarr.
KINNAIRD ScottishFrom the name of a place in Scotland, in Gaelic
An Ceann Ard, meaning "high headland". In the 12th century a Norman nobleman received a charter of land here from King William the Lion (King of Scots), and was thereafter known by this name.
KYLES ScottishDerived from Gaelic
caol meaning
"narrows, channel, strait", originally given to a person who lived by a strait.
LENNOX ScottishFrom the name of a district in Scotland, called
Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly meaning "place of elms".
LESLIE ScottishFrom a Scottish clan name, earlier
Lesselyn, derived from a place name in Aberdeenshire, itself probably from Gaelic
leas celyn meaning "garden of holly".
LISTER ScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic
Mac an Fleisdeir meaning
"son of the arrow maker".
LITHGOW ScottishHabitation name meaning derived from Celtic roots meaning "pool hollow". A famous bearer of this name is actor John Lithgow (1945-).
LOGAN ScottishFrom a Scottish place name meaning "little hollow", derived from Gaelic
lag "hollow, pit".
LYNE ScottishHabitational name for someone who lived in places of this name in Scotland.
MACBETH ScottishDerived from the Gaelic given name
Mac Beatha meaning "son of life", which denoted a man of religious devotion. This was the name of an 11th-century Scottish king, and the name of a play based on his life by William Shakespeare.
MACDONALD ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Domhnaill meaning
"son of DONALD". It originates from the Highland clan Donald.
MACGREGOR ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Griogair meaning
"son of GREGOR". It originates from the Highland clan Gregor. A famous bearer was the Scottish folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734).
MACKENZIE ScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic
Mac Coinnich meaning
"son of COINNEACH". It originates from the Kintail area of Scotland on the northwest coast.
MAXWELL ScottishFrom a place name meaning "Mack's stream", from the name
Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name
MAGNUS, combined with Old English
wella "stream". A famous bearer was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.
MCCAULEY Irish, ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Amhalghaidh meaning
"son of Amhalghadh". The given name
Amhalghadh is of uncertain meaning.
MCCRAE Irish, ScottishFrom the Gaelic
Mag Raith meaning
"son of Rath", a given name meaning "prosperity" or "grace".
MCGILL Irish, ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac an Ghoill meaning
"son of the foreigner", derived from
gall "foreigner".
MCINTYRE ScottishFrom Scottish Gaelic
Mac an tSaoir meaning
"son of the carpenter".
MCKINLEY ScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic
Mac Fhionnlaigh meaning
"son of FIONNLAGH". This name was borne by the American president William McKinley (1843-1901), who was assassinated.
MCLEOD ScottishFrom Gaelic
Mac Leòid meaning
"son of Leod", a given name derived from Old Norse
ljótr "ugly".
MELVILLE ScottishFrom the place name
Malleville meaning "bad town" in Norman French.
MILNE ScottishFrom Scots and Middle English
milne (a variant of
mille) meaning
"mill".
MOFFETT ScottishFrom a the town of Moffat in Scotland meaning "long field" in Gaelic.
MONROE ScottishDesignated a person who had originally lived near the mouth of the Roe River in Derry, Ireland.
MONTGOMERY English, ScottishFrom a place name in Calvados, France meaning "
GUMARICH's mountain". A notable bearer was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.
MURRAY (1) ScottishDerived from the region in Scotland called
Moray meaning "seaboard settlement". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.
NESS English, Scottish, NorwegianFrom English
ness and Norwegian
nes meaning
"headland, promontory", of Old Norse origin, originally referring to a person who lived there.
NORRIS (1) English, ScottishMeans
"from the north" from Old French
norreis. It either denoted someone who originated in the north or someone who lived in the northern part of a settlement.
RALSTON ScottishOriginally denoted a person from Ralston, Scotland, which was derived from the given name
RALPH combined with Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
RAMSEY Scottish, EnglishMeans
"garlic island", derived from Old English
hramsa "garlic" and
eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.
RATTRAY ScottishFrom a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic
ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".
ROSS English, ScottishFrom various place names (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), which are derived from Scottish Gaelic
ros meaning "promontory, headland".
RUTHERFORD ScottishFrom the name of places in southern Scotland and northern England, derived from Old English
hryðer meaning "cattle, ox" and
ford meaning "ford, river crossing".
SCOTT English, ScottishOriginally given to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic.
SHAW (2) ScottishFrom a given name or byname that was derived from Gaelic
sithech meaning
"wolf".
STARRETT ScottishOriginally indicated a person from Stairaird, an estate in Scotland.
STERLING ScottishDerived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning.
STEWART ScottishOccupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English
stig "house" and
weard "guard". The Stewart family (sometimes spelled
Stuart) held the Scottish crown for several centuries. One of the most famous members of the Stewart family was Mary, Queen of Scots.
SUTHERLAND ScottishRegional name for a person who came from the former county by this name in Scotland. It is derived from Old Norse
suðr "south" and
land "land", because it was south of the Norse colony of Orkney.
TAGGART Irish, ScottishAnglicized form of Irish
Mac an tSagairt meaning
"son of the priest". This name comes from a time when the rules of priestly celibacy were not strictly enforced.
URQUHART ScottishDerived from Brythonic
ar "by" and
cardden "thicket". This is the name of several places, the most famous being north of Loch Ness.
WALLACE Scottish, English, IrishMeans
"foreigner, stranger, Celt" from Norman French
waleis (of Germanic origin). It was often used to denote native Welsh and Bretons. A famous bearer was the 13th-century Sir William Wallace of Scotland.
WOOD English, ScottishOriginally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English
wudu "wood".