100 Classic Scottish Last Names: Highlander Approved

Abercrombie

Abercrombie originated as a Scottish place name in Fife, first called Abarcrumbach. It means “confluence of rivers at a bend,” but Abercrombie is best known for the American retailer Abercrombie and Fitch.

Addison

Addison is one of many Scottish last names based on an ancestor, “the son of Addie.” Addie was a Scottish Lowland nickname for Adam, also based on the Middle English Ade.

Ainsley

As a Scottish surname, Ainsley means “of Annesley,” located near Nottingham. It’s associated with the Old English “anne,” meaning “solitary,” and “leah,” meaning “woodland clearing.”

Aitken

Aitken denotes a “son of Adam” as a medieval variation of Adam. Adam itself is based on the Hebrew “adama,” meaning earth.

Barclay

Barclay is a surname for those living in the Scottish locale “of Berkeley,” located in Gloucestershire. Like other Scottish surnames, Barclay has French origin and is made up of “beau,” meaning “beautiful,” and “leah,” meaning “meadow.”

Beattie

Beattie means “one who held land on condition of supplying food to those billeted on him by the chief.” It’s taken from the Gaelic “betagh,” meaning “public victualler (or landlord).”

Beaufort

Beaufort is composed of the Old French “beau,” meaning “beautiful,” and “fort,” meaning “strong.” It traveled to Scotland from the French town of Le Beaufort.

Bell

Belle comes from the Old French “beu,” meaning “handsome,” and is a patronymic name for “the son of Bell.” It’s linked to Le Bel, a surname based in Normandy.

Blackwood

There are many place names in Scotland and England called Blackwood, in Dumfriesshire and Yorkshire. The oldest example of Blackwood appeared with William de Blackwood in Stirlingshire in 1327.

Blair

Blair is the name of various Scottish place names and is composed of the Gaelic “blàr,” meaning “plain” or “battlefield.” It first appeared in the village of Blair, in Ayrshire.

Boice

Boyce originated as the French “del Bois,” based on the French “bois,” meaning “wood” and “grove.” It’s part of many locations in France known for their woodsy environments.

Bowie

Bowie was first the Gaelic nickname “buidhe,” meaning “yellow” or “fair-haired.” It derives from the Gaelic Ó’Buadhaigh, also meaning “descendant of Buadhach.”

Bowles

Bowles is an occupational name for a bowl maker based on the Old English “bolla.” When taken from the Old French “boelle,” it refers to an “agricultural enclosure.”

Breckenridge

Breckenridge is an Anglo variation of the original Scottish Brackenrig. It’s made up of the Middle English “breken,” meaning “bracken,” and “rigg,” meaning “ridge.”

Brodie

Brodie is a Gaelic word also meaning “brow,” “ditch,” or “mire.” It’s associated with Brodie Castle in Moray, Scotland, and means “second son” as well.

Brown

Other than meaning “the son of Brun,” Brown was a surname for someone with “brown hair” or “brown eyes.” It’s also linked to the Old English “brun,” for “brown” itself.

Buchanan

Buchanan comes from the Gaelic “buth chanain,” meaning “house of the canon.” Like other Scottish family names, Buchanan’s meanings also include a parish in Stirlingshire.

Calhoun

Calhoun is based on the Gaelic Colquhoun, meaning “from the narrow woods.” It’s a place name located in Aberdeenshire that’s made up of the Gaelic “còil,” meaning “nook” or “corner.”

Campbell

Campbell derives from the Gaelic “caimbeul,” meaning “wry (or crooked) mouth.” The ancient Campbell clan was the most badass of the Highland clans in Scotland.

Cawley

Cawley was born from the Gaelic MacAmhalghaidh, or the alternative MacAmhlaibh, meaning “son of Amlaib.” It can mean “son of Auley,” “son of Auliffe,” or “son of Humphrey.”

Corbett

Corbett is associated with the Old French “corbeau” and Latin “corvus,” meaning “raven.” It’s more typical as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.

Cruickshank

Cruickshank may sound mythical, but it simply refers to a “dweller at the crooked projecting point of a hill.” It’s most inspired by the River Cruick in Kincardineshire.

Cumming

Cumming originated as Comyn, similar to the town of Comines in France. It’s also associated with the Celtic root “cam,” meaning “bent” or “crooked.”

Cunningham

Cunningham dates back to the 12th-century Cunegan, made up of the Gaelic “cunny,” meaning “rabbit” and “hame,” meaning “home.” It was used for those from Cunningham in North Ayrshire.

Docherty

Doherty is the uniquely Scottish form of the Irish Doherty based on O’Dochartaigh, meaning “descendant of Dochartach.” It means “difficulty,” “hurtful,” or “hardship.”

Donne

Donne comes from the Old Gaelic “donn” and Old English “dunn,” meaning “dark” or “dull brown.” It was a nickname for those with dark hair or a darker complexion.

Doyle

Doyle is linked to many Norman-influenced Scottish last names and means “de Oilgi” or “de Ouilli,” in Normandy. It’s based on the Gaelic Ó’Dubhghaill, meaning “descendant of Dubhghall,” referring to a “dark stranger.”

Drummond

Drummond represents an almost royal surname on the list and was first given to a barony of Drummond. It’s associated with the Gaelic “drumainn,” from “druim,” meaning “ridge.”

Duffy

Duffy is a nickname for someone with a “dark complexion,” originating as Ó’Dubhthaigh. Duffy is also a 6th-century saint who became the archbishop of Armagh.

Dunbar

Dunbar is a place name located near Edinburgh and the North Sea. It’s composed of the Gaelic “dùn,” meaning “fort,” and “barr,” meaning “top,” to describe a military stronghold.

Duncan

Duncan was regularly used for “the son of Duncan,” originating from the Gaelic Donncheann. It’s made up of “donn,” meaning “brown-haired man,” and “ceann,” meaning “chief.”

Fairbairn

Fairbairn was first a nickname for a “fair child” and originated near Yorkshire. The Gaelic “fair bairn” has Old English roots that have also come to mean “beautiful child.”

Faulkner

Faulkner was first an occupational name for “the falconer,” particularly someone who cared for a noble house’s falcons. It’s composed of the Old French “fau(l)connier,” also meaning “falconer.”

Ferguson

Ferguson denotes the “son of Fergus,” which appeared as Fearghas. It’s been known to mean “son of the angry (one)” for a particularly mad Fergus.

Fletcher

• Origin: Scottish
• Meaning: Arrow maker
• Pronunciation: FLEH-Cher
• Variations: Flecher
• Namesakes: Darren Fletcher, a Scottish football technical director for Manchester United. Justin Fletcher, an English TV presenter on the program CBeebies.
• Popularity: Fletcher is uncommon worldwide, mainly used in the U.S., and ranked 427th in Scotland in 2014.
• Description: Fletcher is one of multiple Scottish surnames that start with F, which is based on an occupation. A “fletcher” makes or sells arrows and is based on the Old French “fleche,” meaning “arrow.”

Fraser

Fraser originally appeared as de Frisselle or de Fresel. It’s inspired by the French “frasere,” meaning “strawberry plant,” and was given to someone growing strawberries on their land.

Gibson

Gibson is based on the personal name Gilbert, deriving from Giselbert or Gillebert. The short form became Gibb to indicate a “son of Gibb.”

Gifford

Gifford is based on Gifard, made up of the Germanic “geb,” meaning “give,” and “hard,” meaning “hardy.” It relates to the Old French “gif(f)ard,” meaning “chubby-cheeked” as a funny nickname.

Glenn

The Glen(n) surname is among the oldest tough Scottish clan names. It’s based on “glean,” meaning “small valley,” and dates back to the 6th-century.

Haggan

Haggan is associated with the Gaelic surname Hogan, originating as the Gaelic Óh’Ágáin, meaning “descendant of Ógán.” It also means “noble” or “exalted son.”

Harrower

Harrower is occupation-based and refers to a person who “cultivated land.” It’s taken from the Middle English “harwere,” meaning a “maker of harrows.” A harrow is a farm implement used to till the soil.

Hendry

Hendry is a less pure way to denote “the son of Henry” and occurs in Ayrshire and Fife in Scotland. Hendry is associated with the Scottish Henderson clan originating in the 14th-century.

Hewitt

Hewitt is a patronymic name for “the son of Hugh,” related to the Middle English Hew and Hughsomeone. Hewitt is often found in Northern England and is prevalent all around the UK.

Holmes

Holmes refers to a place “at the holm” upon “an inlet or flatland near a river.” It’s linked to Scottish places called Holmes in Ayrshire and Angus.

Hussey

Hussey is related to place names in France like Heusse and is a nickname for someone who “wears boots.” It originated with the Latin “hosatus,” meaning “booted” and ready for anything.

Irving

Irving is rooted in Irvine, located in Ayrshire and Dumfriesshire. Irving is most inspired by the River Irvine, meaning “green or fresh river.”

Kendrick

Kendrick has Welsh-Celtic origins as Cynwrig, meaning “greatest champion.” It uses the root “cyne,” meaning “royal,” and refers to “the son of Kenwrec.”

Kerr

Kerr comes from the Old Norse “kjarr,” meaning “copse” or “wet ground.” It also means “marsh dweller” and refers to a place “at the carr” with wet ground.

Lamont

Lamont dates back to the 13th-century clan whose name derived from Lagman. It’s linked to the Old Norse Logmaðr, made up of “lag,” meaning “law,” and “maðr,” meaning “man.”

Lees

Lees is a location “at the lees.” It’s composed of the Middle English “lees,” meaning “fields,” and “lese,” meaning “pasture.”

MacDougal

MacDougal derives from the Gaelic MacDhilghaill, meaning “son of Dougal.” The original clan was located in Dunollie, in the Scottish Highlands.

MacGill

McGill comes from the Gaelic Mac an Ghoill, meaning “son of the Lowlander or stranger.” It also ranked 1,218th for U.S. surnames in 2000.

MacGowan

MacGowan first appeared as the Gaelic Mac a Ghobhainn, meaning “son of the smith.” It uses the Gaelic root “gabha,” meaning “son of the ironworker.”

MacLellan

MacLellan is an Anglo spelling for the Gaelic MacGille Fhaolain, meaning “son of the servant of (Saint) Faolán.” The root name Faolán comes from “faol,” meaning “little wolf.”

MacMillan

McMillian is based on the Gaelic MacMhaolain, meaning “son of the bald or tonsured one.” It uses the Gaelic given name Maolán, a diminutive of “maol,” meaning “bald.”

MacNally

MacNally is an English variation of the Gaelic Mac an Fhailghigh, meaning “son of the poor man.” It’s associated with the “son of Cú Allaidh,” meaning “wild hound” in Gaelic.

MacNee

MacNee is an Anglo form of the Gaelic Mac Neidhe, meaning “son of Niadh,” or “son of the champion.” Like other Scottish last names, it can appear as MacNee or McNee.

Mackenzie

Mackenzie began as the Gaelic MacCoinnich, meaning “son of Coinneach,” or “son of Kenneth.” It uses the root “cann,” meaning “fair” and “bright.”

McAdam

McAdam means “son of Adam,” which appears the same way it does in the Hebrew Bible. The original Scottish McAdam clan originated from the Gregor Clan.

McCabe

McCabe means “son of the Abbot,” from the Gaelic Mac Cába, meaning “son of Cába.” It’s based on the Gaelic “caba,” meaning “hat” or “cap.”

McCoy

McCoy is related to the Irish McGee and McHugh, originating with the Gaelic Mac Aodha. It means “son of Aodh,” named after a Celtic mythical prince of fire.

McDonald

McDonald represents an Anglo spelling of the Gaelic MacDhòmhnaill, meaning “son of Dòmhnall.” Dòmhnall is made up of “domno,” meaning “world” and “val,” meaning “might.”

McFarlane

McFarlane originally appeared as the Gaelic Mac Pharlain, meaning “son of Parlan.” Parlan was taken from Parthalán, a Gaelic version of Bartholomew.

McGregor

McGregor comes from the Gaelic Mac Griogair, meaning “son of Griogar.” Griogar is the Gaelic variation of Gregory and is part of the McGregor clan first seen near Glasgow and Stirling.

McIntosh

McIntosh derives from the Gaelic Mac an Toisich, meaning “son of the chief.” The McIntoshes descended from Shaw McDuff, a 12th-century chief known as a strong ruler.

Morrison

Morrison means “the son of Maurice” or “the son of Morris” and has French-Norman associations. The original Morrison clan was based in Sutherland and the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.

Mortimer

Mortimer is inspired by the French Mortemer in Seine-Maritime and taken from the Old French “mort,” meaning “dead,” and “mer,” meaning sea.” It referred to a location with wet ground or a swamp nearby.

Munro

Based on the Gaelic Rotharch, Munro means “man from the River Roe.” It’s commonly found in Northern Ireland and northern Scotland.

Patterson

Patterson is an altered variation of Patrickson, meaning “the son of Patrick.” The original clan was called Pheadirean, yet has associations with the Irish Ó’Caisín, meaning “descendant of the little curly-headed one.”

Purcell

Purcell is linked to the nickname “the porcel,” meaning “young pig” in Middle English. It was an occupational name for a swineherd or a way to call someone “pig-like.”

Robertson

Robert is one of the most straightforward Scottish surnames, meaning “son of Robert.” It’s older than the 7th-century and is based on the German Hrodebert. Robertson is famously associated with the three kings of Scotland, especially Robert the Bruce.

Roy

Roy derives from the French “le roy,” meaning “king,” or the Gaelic “ruadh,” meaning “red.” Roy relates to the Scottish MacGregor clan, who might have been red-haired kings in their time.

Smith

Smith is one of the most popular surnames around the world for a “smith.” It comes from the Old English “smid,” meaning “to strike,” and is found throughout Scotland and the UK.

Sterling

Sterling is one of the oldest Scottish family names, meaning “a place of strife.” It’s based on the Old English Stærling, a nickname for a bird-like person.

Sutherland

Sutherland represents the cultural connection between Scottish and Scandinavian lands. It’s made up of the Old Norse “súthr,” meaning “southern” and “land,” for the county of Sutherland.

Taggart

Taggart was born out of the Scottish surname MacTaggart. They first appeared as the Gaelic Mac-an-t-sagairt, meaning “son of the priest,” to become the somewhat rare Taggart.

Thomson

Thomson is the most Scottish version of names, meaning “the son of Thomas.” It’s also linked to Thom, Thomp, or Thompkin.

Thorburn

Thorburn relates to the given name Thorbern from the Old Norse Thórbjörn. It’s composed of Thor, the Norse god of thunder, and “björn,” meaning “warrior” and “bear.”

Underwood

Underwood is made up of the Old English “under,” meaning “below,” and “wuda,” meaning “wood.” It was given to someone living “below the trees of a forest.”

Vass

Vass has origins in the Latin “vassus,” meaning “servant vassal.” It also denotes a “son of Vass” and is a popular Hungarian surname meaning “blacksmith.”

Vernon

Vernon is based on the Gaelic “vern,” meaning “alder tree,” “springlike,” and “flourishing.” Vernon became known as a “place of alders,” many of which are in France.

Walsh

Walsh was a term for a “Briton” or “foreigner,” usually a “Welshman.” It was first used in Ireland for soldiers from Britain.

Watson

Watson is a “W” surname given to “the son of Walter,” itself made up of the Germanic “wald,” meaning “rule,” and “heri,” meaning “army.”

Williams

Williams means “a descendant of William,” meaning “resolute protector.” It’s the second most popular surname in Wales and is a favorite surname there.

Woods

Woods comes from the Middle English “wode,” meaning “wood.” It refers to a place “at the wood” and was intended for someone who called the forest home.