Scottish Last Names

While the lin ending is more commonly found in girls' names, Carlin is an authentic Irish male choice and was used just about evenly for both sexes in the US last year.

Takes Monroe out of the Dead Presidents category and gives it new life.

Traditionally a Scottish habitational surname, but today could be viewed as a mashup of Melanie or Melissa and Rose.

Historically tied to country music legend Conway Twitty, it’s now gaining traction alongside names like Connor, Colton, and Corbin. Growing in usage along with other surnames as first names, Conway stands out as a fresh, yet familiar, choice.

Brooke Shields chose this name for her younger daughter. It's one of the original androgynous movie star names, precursor to Drew and Glenn and Cameron, borne by Greer Garson.

A modern choice for girls riffing on the popular unisex name Quinn, with an extra syllable to add substance and formality. And Quinn is still available as a nickname!

A surname with potential as a first — Ramsey was given to a little over 100 baby boys in 2022.

Laurie morphed into the more streamlined Lori in the sixties but now feels dated for a girl in either spelling. Update Lauren has been renovated as Laurel or Laura itself.

With the current taste for last names first, this sounds a lot cooler than Shawn; it also has creative connections to the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, novelist Irwin Shaw, and Big Band Era clarinetist/bandleader and one-time Ava Gardner husband Artie Shaw.

Somehow more modern and likable than Morris or Doris.

A beaming, friendly Irish last-name-first-name waiting to be discovered.

Bryce is the preferred spelling over Brice for both genders, with nearly 70 girls named Bryce in one recent year vs. only five called Brice. But note that there were over 3000 boys named Bryce and 240 named Brice, making this a predominantly male name. Actress Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron, is the most notable female bearer of this name.

Loch is a watery word that sounds more like a name because it's one step removed from its English form. Pronounced as "lock," it's also a short form of the variously-spelled Lachlan.

A surname occasionally used as a first, as in former attorney general Ramsey Clark. This spelling is now closely associated with the psychopathic Game of Thrones villain Ramsay Snow (later Ramsay Bolton), and so is probably best avoided as long as the show and books are popular.

A natural successor to Hunter, Hudson, and Huxley, Hutton is an unexpected yet on-trend unisex name. Associated with Scottish geologist James Hutton, and as a first name with designer Hutton Wilkinson.

A name with some sterling qualities, most associated with the British currency and silver markets. Sterling is more commonly a male name or surname, but is occasionally used for girls as well.

Scottish nature name that could prove a tongue- twister for the younger set.

New Presidential name, if you're ready to move beyond Lincoln and Jefferson. At the turn of the last century, during the original McKinley's heyday, as a first name it almost reached the Top 100.

This name of a town in Scotland, one of the earliest recorded surnames in the whole British Isles, has more vitality than Kelsey.