AINSLEYScotsFrom 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".
ALLAWAYScottishFrom a Scottish place name, itself derived from
alla "wild" and
mhagh "field".
BEGBIEScottishFrom the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse given name
BAGGI and
býr "farm, settlement".
BLAIRScottishFrom any one of several places of this name in Scotland, which derive from Gaelic
blár meaning "plain, field, battlefield".
BOYDScottishFrom the name of the Scottish island of Bute (
Bód in Gaelic), which is of unknown meaning.
BRECKENRIDGEScottish, 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).
BRODIEScottishOriginally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It is probably from Gaelic
broth meaning "ditch, mire".
BRUCEScottishPossibly 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.
BUCHANANScottishFrom 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).
CAMERONScottishMeans "crooked nose" from Gaelic
cam "crooked" and
sròn "nose".
CAMPBELLScottishFrom 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".
CARSONScottishMeaning uncertain, possibly from the town of Courson in Normandy.
COCKBURNScottish, EnglishOriginally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English
cocc "rooster" and
burna "stream".
COLQUHOUNScottishFrom a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.
COUTTSScottishFrom the name of the town of Cults in Aberdeenshire, derived from a Gaelic word meaning "woods".
CRAIGScottishDerived from Gaelic
creag meaning "crag, rocks", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.
CUNNINGHAMScottishFrom the name of place in the Ayrshire district of Scotland. It possibly comes from Gaelic
cuinneag meaning "milk pail".
DARROWScottishHabitational name from Darroch near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, said to be named from Gaelic
darach meaning "oak tree".
DAVISEnglish, ScottishMeans "son of
DAVID". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).
DONNEScottish, IrishFrom Gaelic
donn meaning "brown", a nickname for a person with brown hair.
DOUGLASScottishAnglicized 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.
DRUMMONDScottishFrom various place names in Scotland which are derived from Gaelic
druim meaning "ridge".
DUNBARScottishFrom 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 which projects into the sea.
DUNNEnglish, Scottish, IrishDerived from Old English
dunn "dark" or Gaelic
donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.
FAULKNEREnglish, ScottishOccupational name for a keeper of falcons, from Middle English and Scots
faulcon, from Late Latin
falco, of Germanic origin.
FRASERScottishMeaning unknown, originally Norman French
Fresel, possibly from a lost place name in France.
GLENNScottishDerived from Gaelic
gleann "valley". A famous bearer was American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).
GORDONScottishFrom the name of a place in Berwickshire, Scotland, derived from Brythonic words meaning "spacious fort".
GRAHAMScottishDerived 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.
GRIEVEScottishOccupational name meaning "steward, farm manager" in Middle English, related to the German title
Graf.
HAMILTONEnglish, 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).
HEPBURNEnglish, 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).
HOLMEEnglish, 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).
HOLMESEnglish, ScottishVariant of
HOLME. A famous fictional bearer was Sherlock Holmes, a detective in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.
HUNTEREnglish, ScottishOccupational name which referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English
hunta.
IRVINGScottish, EnglishOriginally derived from a Scottish place name (in North Ayrshire) meaning "green water".
KEITHScottishFrom a place name which is probably derived from the Brythonic element
cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.
KERRScottishFrom Scots
kerr meaning "rough wet ground", ultimately from Old Norse
kjarr.
KINNAIRDScottishFrom the name of a place in Scotland. The area concerned is high and occupies a vantage point and may have been named in Gaelic as
Ceann Ard meaning "high end or head". 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.
KYLESScottishDerived from Gaelic
caol meaning "narrows, channel, strait", originally given to a person who lived by a strait.
LENNOXScottishFrom the name of a district in Scotland, called
Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly meaning "place of elms".
LESLIEScottishFrom a Scottish place name, probably derived from Gaelic
leas celyn meaning "garden of holly".
LISTERScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic
Mac an Fleisdeir meaning "son of the arrow maker".
LITHGOWScottishHabitation name meaning "pool, damp, hollow". A famous bearer of this name is actor John Lithgow (1945-).
LYNEScottishHabitational name for someone who lived in places of this name in Ayrshire, Peeblesshire, and Wigtownshire.
MACBETHScottishDerived 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.
MACDONALDScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Domhnaill meaning "son of
DONALD". It originates from the Highland clan Donald.
MACGREGORScottishAnglicized 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).
MACKENZIEScottishAnglicized form of the Gaelic
Mac Coinnich meaning "son of
COINNEACH". It originates from the Kintail area of Scotland on the northwest coast.
MAXWELLScottishFrom 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.
MCCRAEIrish, ScottishFrom the Gaelic
Mag Raith meaning "son of Rath", a given name meaning "prosperity" or "grace".
MCINTYREScottishFrom Scottish Gaelic
Mac an tSaoir meaning "son of the carpenter".
MCLEODScottishFrom Gaelic
Mac Leòid meaning "son of Leod", a given name derived from Old Norse
ljótr "ugly".
MELVILLEScottishFrom the place name
Malleville meaning "bad town" in Norman French.
MILLIGANIrish, ScottishFrom the Gaelic given name
Maolagán, a derivative of
maol meaning "bald" or "tonsured".
MILNEScottishFrom Scots and Middle English
milne (a variant of
mille) meaning "mill".
MONROEScottishDesignated a person who had originally lived near the mouth of the Roe River in Derry, Ireland.
MONTGOMERYEnglish, 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.
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.
PAYNEIrish, Scottish, EnglishMeans "villager, rustic" and later "heathen" from Middle English
Payn, Old French
Paien which was often given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults whose religious zeal was lacking.
RALSTONScottishOriginally denoted a person from Ralston, Scotland, which was derived from the given name
RALPH combined with Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
RAMSEYScottish, 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.
RATTRAYScottishFrom a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic
ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".
ROSSEnglish, ScottishFrom various place names (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland) which are derived from Scottish Gaelic
ros meaning "promontory, headland".
RUTHERFORDScottishFrom the name of places in southern Scotland and northern England, derived from Old English
hryðer meaning "cattle, ox" and
ford meaning "ford, river crossing".
SCOTTEnglish, ScottishOriginally given to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic.
STARRETTScottishOriginally indicated a person from Stairaird, an estate in Scotland.
STERLINGScottishDerived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning.
STEWARTScottishOccupational 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.
SUTHERLANDScottishRegional 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.
TAGGARTIrish, 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.
URQUHARTScottishDerived from Brythonic
ar "by" and
cardden "thicket". This is the name of several places, the most famous being north of Loch Ness.
WALLACEScottish, 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.
WOODEnglish, ScottishOriginally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English
wudu "wood".