Scottish Last Names

An unconventional route to the cool nickname Mac/Mack, Mckenna or McKenna derives from the Gaelic name Cináed (Anglicized as Kenneth), meaning "born of fire".

Though Davy Crockett is a childhood hero, a frontiersman, soldier, politician, congressman and prolific storyteller. But be aware that "crock" is American slang for a lot of nonsense or something broken.

This ancient Scottish surname may be pagan in origin, referring to a "holy day", but today it makes an attractive and unique Scottish name for girls. Halliday has many spelling variations and traveled throughout the British Isles and to France, where it has royal associations, and eventually to the new world. Johnny Hallyday was a French pop star.

A lesser-used presidential choice, with a charming, buccaneering sound. Fictional bearers include the Marvel Comics character James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, as well as the heroine of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Daisy Buchanan.

English place name derived from the Anglo-Norman personal name Hasten or Haesta, made famous by the battle of 1066.

Down-to-earth surname name with a drawl, also associated with cereal and dog food.

The energetic Brody is a name that claims different meanings and origins depending on whether you're looking at its Irish, Scottish, or English history -- and Eastern Europeans claim a version too. This spelling is much more popular for boys, but has seen some use for girls in recent years, including volleyball player Gabrielle Reese's daughter. An alternate spelling is Brodie.

Not yet on the place-name map, this name has Shakespearean ties via the Duke Of Albany character in King Lear.

Magee became one of the first gender-bending Irish surname names so popular today thanks to New York television newswoman Magee Hickey. In case you don't know, the g is hard, as in Maggie, but with the opposite emphasis.

McKay is the Anglicized form of Mac Aodha, meaning "son of Aodh" in Gaelic. Aodh is the origin of names such as Aidan and Hugh, making McKay a subtle way to honor people with those names.

This name's all-male occupational roots help it break the Barbara bonds, but still not the most inspiring surname choice.

As wooden as its second syllable.

Stylish way to name your son after basketball great Walt -- though Walt is sounding fresh again too.

A handsome surname derived from Henry, like Henderson and Hendrix.

A nickname style name, Neely could derive from the strong sounding Cornelia, as a playful alternative to Nelly from Eleanor and Helena, or as a variation of the Scottish surname McNeilly, with the cool meaning "son of the poet".

While actress Glenn Close didn't inspire many parents to give their daughters her name in particular, she did help launch a general trend toward boy names for girls.