Scottish Names

Taken from a Scottish town, a Scots surname, and the name of an intricately patterned fabric, Paisley means "church" or "cemetery." It ranks highly for girls and is in US Top 100. It may feel a little swirly to ever catch on for boys, but with gentle names like Rowan, Teddy, Casey, Emery, and Trace rising in the US, and Hadley, Oakley, McKenzie, and Presley ranking in the UK, Paisley might one day be considered for any gender. Paisley Currah, a political scientist, professor, author and advocate for transgender rights, is a notable bearer of the name.

Forbes is a business magazine in the U.S., long led by Malcolm Forbes, with a buttoned-down Brooks Brothers image. If you name your son Forbes, you're definitely implying a connection to the prominent and wealthy family -- which may be exactly what you're intending. But if you have a more down-to-earth image in mind, try Field.

Authentic Gaelic name with pronunciation problems in the US. In Scotland Eachann has been anglicized as Hector, not because of its sound, but because the Trojan hero Hector had the reputation as a mighty horseman.

Simplicity and pleasant associations give the word Bell real possibility as a first name -- but somehow it seems better for a girl, a la Belle.

An attractive Scandinavian take on Helga, or a potential Helen nickname.

Kyle is a Scottish male name while Kylie is an Aboriginal name meaning boomerang. Kyleigh might be seen as a feminine spin on Kyle or a spelling update of Kylie. A trendy choice longer on style than substance.

British-sounding literary surname choice.

Laird is a Scottish title for the landed gentry – it ranks just below a Baron – with a pleasantly distinctive Scottish burr that must have appealed to Sharon Stone, who chose it for her son.

Traditionally a male name, Leith now can make a highly unusual, strong but soft, and intriguing girls' possibility.

An interesting vowel combination lightens up Graham.

Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin's daughter Ireland opened up the map for names like Scotland, and now that it's been chosen by Kourtney Kardashian for her daughter Penelope's middle name -- in honor of daddy Scott Disick -- Scotland is sure to appear on more birth certificates. Can Scotlyn be far behind?

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.

A common family name in Scotland, occasionally used as a first.

Rona ranked in the US Top 1000 in the mid-20th century but holds new meaning in the 2020s. "Rona" has become slang for coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, which gives the name a dark and somber edge. In 2020, Rona was given to 17 baby girls (a fall from 26 the previous year). In 2021, it dropped to just 5 — we expect it to drop off the list entirely in the years to come.

Macallister as a first name is attracting new attention as the name chosen by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and venture capitalist Zack Bogue for their young son. Macallister is usually heard as a patronymic surname, meaning son of Alasdair or Alistair or any one of the spellings of the Scottish form of Alexander. Like all other names of this type, Macallister leads to the cute short form Mac.

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

Not as popular for girls as Kylie or Kyla, but we prefer its simplicity.

Cameron is still more popular as a boy's name than a girls and this simple, snappy short form works well for either sex.

If you want a truly unusual name with authentic roots, this one certainly fits on both counts. Pronunciation may prove a stumbling block, however.

Possibly started life as a short form of Rhonwen, but most likely derives from the name of the Hebridean island Rona, which means "rough island".