Scottish Names

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

Ilisa is a spelling variant that's less appealing than the original.

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

While this has a distinguished male namesake -- astronomer Edmund Halley and his comet -- it still strays too close to the superpopular feminine Hailey family to work for some parents for a boy. Fewer than five baby boys were given the name last year, but that could change as formerly-female names become more acceptable for boys.

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

Interesting possibility for the son or grandson of a Gregory.

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.

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.

Tamlane is a variation of Tam Lin, a (male) character in an old Scottish legend and ballad. Tam Lin was imprisoned by the Queen of the Fairies, called Titania or Mab.