Scottish Names

Attractive placename/surname with a somewhat aristocratic feel.

A classic Gaelic name, but too hoary to be a hit here.

Among the more masculine of the short unisex B names, Brice is less popular than Bryce for both sexes. There were 240 boys named Brice in the US in one recent year, versus only five girls -- and more than ten times that many of both genders named Bryce.

An undiscovered place-name with an appealing o-sound ending.

The surname of the influential early Scottish inventor of logarithms could make an inspiring middle name choice for a mathematically inclined family.

Stronger and fresher than the original, though it may provoke the question, "Got a light?"

Somewhat flat-footed spelling variation.

Prettier: the growing-in-popularity Paisley, a suburb of Glasgow, or even Scotland itself, used as a middle name by Kourtney Kardashian.

Farquhar has a great meaning, but unfortunate potential for mispronunciation. It was originally a given name in the Scottish highlands, but is more commonly known today as a surname. It's occasionally given to children in Scotland, but rarely if ever elsewhere. (And no, the character in Shrek was Lord Farquaad.)

Earvin gained NBA fame as the birth name of Magic Johnson. If your name was Earvin, you'd probably change it to Magic too.

For towheads with ties to Scotland -- in theory, anyway.

Guthrie, folk singer Woody's last name, makes a perfectly fine first choice for a girl. Names such as Guthrie that have no gendered history can make true nonbinary names.

Dickson's nickname problem keeps it from having the upside possibility of similar names like Jackson and Harrison. If you're looking for fresh baby names to honor an ancestral Richard or Dick, consider Dixon. Or better, Richardson.

Shows some promise via its connection to the growing interest in Ewan.

Wylei exists because Corey Parker decreed it so: He gave his newborn son this variation of the classic surname more conventionally spelled Wylie or Wiley. The problem with the Wylei spelling is that it makes you think the name may have a different pronunciation, with an ay versus an ee sound at the end. This is one of those creative inspirations that will make the child's life more difficult for years to come.