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common scottish surnames

MACDHUBHGHAILL – Gaelic form of MACDOUGALL. If you would like to know more about a specific Scottish surname or clan contact us or if you would like us to research your Scottish family tree then please view our packages.If you have just hit a brick wall then consider our Hints and Tips. AIKEN – Derived from the medieval given name Atkin, a diminutive of ADAM. Patronyms are derived from the forename of the bearer's father (for example, the full name of a man named John Donaldson indicates that the father's name was Donald). Early 16th Century Scottish Lowland Names Surnames - By Instances ... only a very rough guide to the relative popularity of a name and only somewhat more reliable as an indication of how common a particular spelling or form of a name was compared to other spellings and forms of the same name. [note 8], In the 17th and 18th centuries, the clan name of the MacGregors was outlawed, and members of the clan were forced to assume other names. MCCABE – Means “son of Cába”, where Cába is a given name meaning “cape”. PATERSON – Means “son of PATRICK”. 10 jokes only the Scottish will understand. CRAIG – Derived from Gaelic creag meaning “crag” or “rocks”. BRODIE – Variant of BRODY Examples of Scottish surnames derived from nicknames are: Little; White; and Meikle (which means "big"). HENDERSON – Means “son of HENDRY”. Scottish Last Names The data was further enhanced with names of people that were not entitled to vote. NORRIS – Means “from the north” from Old French norreis. For example, the surname Daly has its Ireland origins with the Irish family last name (or Irish surname) O’Dalaigh (notice how the Irish name spelling is different) or the Scottish first name Andrew is Greek in origin and is the root of today’s popular Scottish surname of Anderson. MEYRICK – Variant of MERRICK GORDON – From a place name meaning “spacious fort” in the ancient Brythonic language. WALDROUP – Variant of WARDROBE One of the most common Scottish surnames is Campbell, which is derived from the Gaelic Caimbeul, meaning "crooked-mouth". Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The surname McIntosh comes from the Gaelic name Mac an Toisich, which means “son of the chief, leader, or thane.” Members of this distinguished Pictish family were originally found in Moray. MCWILLIAM – Means “son of WILLIAM” in Gaelic. LESLIE – From a Scottish place name, probably derived from Gaelic leas celyn meaning “garden of holly”. BRECKINRIDGE – Variant of BRECKENRIDGE BRECKENRIDGE – Placename in Lanarkshire. Regional names, or ethnic names. BAIRD – Anglicized form of MAC AN BAIRD. Some of the local surnames with the roll are derived from places within Scotland; there are very few Gaelic surnames recorded in the roll.[2]. The surname Daly has it's origins in the Irish name O'Dalaigh and Docherty also has Irish roots The Scottish boys name Andrew is Greek in origin, and is the root of today's popular Scottish surname of Anderson The last name Grant is derived from the French word 'grand', meaning 'big' FAULKNER – Old English for “falconer”. MACEANRAIG – Gaelic form of MCKENDRICK MCCALLUM – Variant form of MACANGUS One old Gaelic saying reads: Frisealach am boll a mine ("the Frasers of the boll of meal"), which explains that some of name Fraser are actually Bissets, who originally controlled the lands taken by the Frasers. The surname Murray is thought to derive from the county of Moray, where the clan lived. [9] Many of these surnames were brought to Scotland by Anglo-Normans, whose surnames were derived from either lands in Normandy or in England (for example, Bruce is derived from Brix in Manche, France,[10] Crawford is derived from Crawford, South Lanarkshire, in the south of Scotland, Barton is derived from Dumbarton, or the several villages and towns in England, and Graham is derived from Grantham, in Lincolnshire, England). THORBURN – Derived from the Old Norse given name ÞÓRBJÖRN. MACGREGOR – Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Griogair meaning “son of GREGOR”… [more] [28] The position of the standing court of heraldry in Scotland, the Court of the Lord Lyon, considers that everyone who shares the same surname as a recognised chief, is a member of that chief's clan. BLAIR – From a Scottish surname that is derived from Gaelic blár meaning “plain, field, battlefield”. Smith is the most common name in 20 of the 32 local authority areas of Scotland, but in the Western Isles, Macleod is most common. The Gaelic surname Mac Gabhann (son of the Smith) was often anglicised as ‘Smith.’ Another example is the surname Mac an Fhúcdair (son of the wauker or fuller of cloth), later anglicised Walker, a common Scottish surname. [8] In some cases such names were borne by tenants, or followers, of the owners of the lands they lived on. The data were mostly gathered from the 2001 UK electoral register. MCLEOD – From Gaelic Mac Leòid meaning “son of Leod”, a given name derived from Old Norse ljótr “ugly”. The name Muireach means “mariner”. MacIntyre – one of the top Irish surnames that are actually Scottish. Addison. CARR – From a place name meaning “marsh” in Old Norse. RATTRAY – From a place name meaning “fortress town”, from Gaelic rath “fortress” and Welsh tref “town”. MACDOUGALL – Means “son of DOUGAL” in Scottish. Lamont – The name is of great antiquity in southern Argyll where the chiefs were known as “Mac Laomain Mor Chomhail Uile” or “The Great MacLamont of all Cowal”. Scottish last names starting with K MCCLELLAND – From Gaelic Mac Giolla Fhaoláin meaning “son of the servant of FAOLÁN”. MACNEIL – Variant of MCNEIL Extracted from ‘The Surnames of Scotland’ the top 150 Scottish surnames in the USA are as follows: 1. [36], The top twenty most common surnames in Scotland are shown below. MCGREGOR – Variant of MACGREGOR Find out more about your Scottish surname from this list of Scottish surnames from Acheson to Woods. Many Scottish surnames originate from names that were originally patronyms. [37], While the total bearers of specific surnames have grown in number over the years, such as the names of the most dominant clans, some Scottish surnames have completely died out in the country (for example, the family with the Hebridean surname MacUspaig, derived from a Gaelicised Norse personal name, died out in the male line shortly after the turn of the 20th century). MACFARLAND – Variant of MCFARLANE MAGRAITH – Gaelic form of MCCRAE The Crossword Solver found 21 answers to the Common Scottish surname crossword clue. Murray. Discover the ethnic origin and meaning of last names. ARMSTRONG – Means “strong arm” from Old English earm and strang. Bynames were particularly prevalent in fishing communities in the northeastern part of Scotland,[17] but were also used in the Borders and the West Highlands. MATHESON – Means “son of MATTHEW”. [2] The memory of such renaming is sometimes preserved in tradition. The word … The following pages are intended to provide information about surnames (and spelling variants) found in Scottish historical records. [1] One of the earliest sources for surnames in Scotland is the Ragman Roll. [6][note 6] There are several reasons for this. STEWART – Occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig “house” and weard “guard”. ACHESON – Variant of ATCHISON GIBB – Derived from the given name GIB. MCFARLANE – Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Pharlain meaning “son of PARTHALÁN”. Some Scottish surnames can be classified as either "regional names" or "ethnic names". ALLEN – Derived from the given name ALAN. GRIER – Derived from the given name GREGOR. 2 Brown - 46,009. Colour Surnames CRUICKSHANK – From a Scottish nickname meaning “bent legs”. However, the patterns of surnames differs widely in different geographical areas. CUMMINS – Means “descendant of Cuimin”, a Breton name meaning “little bent one”. STERLING – Derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning. MCDOUGALL – Variant of MACDOUGALL MCKELLAR – From Gaelic Mac Ealair meaning “son of EALAIR”. Lag meaning law. MACCALLION – Anglicized form of MACCAILÍN. MACRAE – Variant of MCCRAE [11] Not all territorial surnames are derived from lands owned by their bearers. MCDANIEL – Variant of MACDONALD HAMELDON – Variant of HAMILTON WOOD – Originally denoted one who lived in or worked in a wood or forest. MELVILLE – From the place name Malleville meaning “bad town” in Norman French. HAMILTON – From an English place name, derived from the elements hamel “crooked, mutilated” and dun “hill”. DUBHGHLAS – Gaelic form of DOUGLAS [23][note 10] Similarly, a surname derived from a patronym, may be used by numerous unconnected families descended from a like-named individual (for example, the bardic family of the surname MacEwan employed by the Campbells are not connected to the MacEwens of Otter). MCCREERY – Variant of MCCRORY GRAHAME – Variant of GRAHAM "[15] Macpherson means "son of the parson",[16] from the Gaelic surname Mac a' Phearsain. [9] These names originally referred to the origin of the bearer and tended to have been acquired by people who migrated a considerable distance for their original homes. SUTHERLAND – County name that described a person who came from the former county by this name. WATERS – Patronymic form of WALTER. NIVEN – Variant of NEVIN. [18][note 9] In some cases, the name of a clan may be identical to the surname of another family, yet there is no etymological link between the employed surname, and there is no historical connection between the different families (for example, the Hebridean/Kintyre surname Brodie is not connected to the surname of the Brodies of Brodie, who were centred in Moray). MACLEAN – Variant of MCLAIN SANGSTER – Occupational surname meaning “song-maker or singer” from Old English. [39] Children under the age of 16 are only allowed to change their surname once. MILLIGAN – From the Gaelic given name Maolagán, a derivative of maol meaning “bald” or “tonsured”. These names are sometimes given to both males and females (for example, the given name Mackenzie, taken from the Scottish surname Mackenzie, is given to girls more than boys in North America;[41] another North American given name used for both sexes is Cameron derived from the surname Cameron).[42]. https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/100-british-last-names-or-surnames These are surnames that correspond to what a person (or their family, if it was a generational trade handed down from father to … ROSE –  Means “rose” from the Middle English, Old French and Middle High German. Arthur. DARROW – Place name Darroch near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, said to be named from Gaelic darach “oak tree”. The use of patronyms died out in the Lowlands after the 15th century, as they became solidified as surnames. MCARTHUR – Means “son of ARTHUR” in Gaelic. The surname McIntosh comes from the Gaelic name Mac an Toisich, which means “son of the chief, leader, or thane.” Members of this distinguished Pictish family were originally found in Moray. MCNABB – Variant of MCNAB Scottish surnames are surnames currently found in Scotland, or surnames that have a historical connection with the country. First half of the English place name for a person who lived at the bottom of the if... They became solidified as surnames name Cults in Aberdeenshire, derived from Old! Answer pattern to get better results overgrown with brushwood ” example, Adkin diminutive of GILBERT “ cape ”,. A man of religious devotion crooked-mouth '' the Ragman Roll the English place name meaning little. All geographical Scottish surnames derived from coille “ grove ” can be derived from lands on the continent from to! “ son of CORMAC ” lifted once and for all, some the... 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