Scottish Names

This somewhat boisterous Celtic name would be at home in a noisy pub or out walking on the moors. In Scotland, it was originally a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.

Originally a nickname for Viking invaders, it gained fresh impetus in the 18th century when James Macpherson made Fingal the central character in his Ossianic poems. An offbeat addition to the Fin- family of names.

An invention of the eighteenth-century romantic poet James Macpherson, in his epic cycle about Ossian, a legendary Celtic hero. In Poland, where it was popular at the start of the 20th century, the spelling is Malwina, and it's also had some use in other Eastern European countries.

Aileas is one of those Scottish names that is at once familiar and unusual, a spin on the internationally-popular Alice that is all but unknown outside of its native Scotland. It might overcomplicate things in the US, though, given that most Americans would pronounce it like the word alias and would find it difficult to get from those vowel combinations to ah-lus or eh-lus.

Associated with iconic British designer and retailer Terence Conran, who had an international impact on household design. Makes a nice variation on Conrad.

Ancient Irish saint's name that's unlikely, because of its similarity to "ninny," to join cousin Finian in popularity.

Variant spelling of Fife, borne by English musician Fyfe Dangerfield and Scottish journalist and reporter Fyfe Robertson.

Sometimes heard as a first name in Scotland, particularly among the Campbell clan.

A surprisingly rare form of Arthur that rings more Scottish, and lends itself easily to Art as a nickname.

This anagram of Agnes is not related to that name; rather it comes from the Gaelic word seang meaning "slender".

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.)

Rarely used un-Gaelic-sounding Scottish name with literary associations to Erskine Caldwell, author of Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre.

This Irish saint's name makes an attractive alternative for Dylan or Donald.

This spin on the "Alex" prefix was the 88th most popular girl name in Scotland in 1900.

More grown up than Jamie, but never given to more than 13 baby girls in the US per year (and that back in 1968). Modern parents prefer Jamie, Jameson or even James itself, as Blake and Ryan Reynolds chose in 2014.