Scottish Names for Boys

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.

Distinguished actor Hume Cronyn (who shared his father's name) put this unusual choice in the lexicon.

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

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

An old French surname derived from baille, meaning "fortification" – the same root as the English word bailey. The surname was borne by an aristocratic English family descended from French nobility.

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

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

Most Americans would take the easy way out and spell it Willem, as in artist de Kooning and actor Dafoe.

The final s turns this name into a manservant.

The Mc and Mac surnames are asserting themselves as first names and this is one of the most popular. Though outside the U.S. Top 1000, it's among the fastest rising names for boys.

If used at all these days, it would be to honor artist Jackson, whose first name would be far preferable.

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.

A city and river in Scotland; this is upbeat and cheery, but doesn't seem that appropriate as a name.

Between "Old MacDonald" and Big Mac allusions, this would be a risky choice.