230 Scottish baby boy names, with meanings

Thinking of a name with Scottish heritage for your baby boy? We've got some great ideas to inspire you, with names that are unusual, modern and traditional, as well as the top Scottish names and Scottish Gaelic names – each with their origin and meaning

detail of Scottish baby boy feet and legs wearing tartan trousers

Published: August 21, 2023 at 11:25 AM

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Scottish boy names, with their rich, rugged burr, make great contenders for your baby's given name – whether you have some Scottish heritage of your own or you just love the land of glens and lochs and munros and castles.

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Finding the right Scottish baby name for your wee bairn is not easy, though – with so many thousands of names to trawl through and whittle down. So, we’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you, by scouring the baby-name registers and compiling a big list for you here of the best 220 Scottish baby boy names – each with their own meaning.

We've included the most popular Scottish boy names in the UK, a glorious selection of Scottish Gaelic boy names and traditional Scottish boy names, as well as some more modern, cool and unusual, even unique Scottish boy name choices. And, to give you even more inspiration, we've also compiled some great selections of short Scottish boy names, strong Scottish boy names and nature-inspired Scottish boy names.

For more baby name inspiration, check out our articles on Scottish girls' names and their meanings, featuring charming and historic choices, and African baby names for boys and girls, filled with vibrant and meaningful options

Here's our list of Scottish boy names to inspire you...

Most popular Scottish baby boy names | Traditional Scottish baby boy names | Modern Scottish baby boy names | Unusual Scottish baby boy names | Scottish Gaelic baby boy names | Cool Scottish baby boy names | Strong Scottish baby boy names | Short Scottish baby boy names | Nature-inspired Scottish baby boy names

Most popular Scottish baby boy names

The official lists of the most popular boy names in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland feature a good number of Scottish boy names. We've combed through the top 100 most common baby boy names, as registered by the Office for National Statistics (for England and Wales), the National Records of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency in 2021 (the 2022 list will be released towards the end of 2023) to find the most popular boy names with a Scottish origin. Top of the heap are Arthur and Archie, with Brodie, Callan and Carson coming up the ranks strongly in the past year.

1. Arthur

2. Archie

3. Finley

4. Rory

5. Finlay

6. Logan

7. Hunter

8. Finn

9. Elliot

10. Brody

11. Brodie

12. Carson

13. Struan

14. Callan

Traditional Scottish baby boy names

Baby boy names that have long been associated with Scotland have a lovely solid, old-fashioned charm. Some of the suggestions here are classic Scottish boy names in regular use today, like Alasdair and Angus; some are less well known but have a long and rich heritage, like Bothan and Coire. If you'd like to tip your baby-name hat to Scotland's proud history and culture, you can't go wrong with one of these traditional picks...

15. Alasdair

16. Angus

17. Bothan

18. Cameron

19. Chalmer

20. Coire

21. Dallas

22. Dempster

23. Dougal

24. Douglas

25. Donald

26. Domhnull

27. Duncan

27. Drummond

29. Eachann

30. Ewart

31. Fletcher

32. Forbes

33. Gilleasbuig

34. Gilmat

35. Gilmore

36. Gilroy

37. Goraidh

38. Gordon

39. Gunn

40. Hamish

41. Harailt

42. Iain

43. Jock

44. Keir

45. Keith

46. Laird

47. Lamond

48. Lachlann

49. Mungo

50. Murdoch

51. Nechtan

52. Norval

53. Rab

54. Tearlach

54. Teigue

56. Wallace

Modern Scottish baby boy names

Looking for a Scottish boy name with a bit more of a contemporary vibe? We've found you loads to choose from. Some of them, like Conall and Cory, are names that had almost fallen into disuse before they gained present-day popularity. Others, like Fraser and Campbell, have been re-purposed from traditional names Scottish surnames to give them a fresh first name appeal...

57. Alastair

58. Blair

59. Bryce

60. Callum

61. Campbell

62. Carmichael

63. Caol

64. Conall

65. Corran

66. Cory

67. Craig

68. Fife

69. Findlay

70. Fraser

71. Grant

72. Gregor

73. Kameron

74. Kennedy

75. Kenneth

76. Kirk

77. Knox

78. Lennox

79. Lindsay

80. Lomond

81. Lorne

82. Lyle

83. Macaulay

84. Mackenzie

85. Malcolm

86. Maxwell

87. Monroe

88. Murray

89. Rowan

90. Stuart

91. Sinclair

Unusual Scottish baby boy names

Maybe you're after a boy name that's not only Scottish but special: something that's so uncommon, it will mark your baby boy out as unique. We've found some brilliant unusual baby boy names with Scottish origins: some of them have always had an awesome exclusivity about them; others have had moments of popularity decades ago but are now wonderfully rare and extraordinary.

92. Athol

93. Aulay

94. Bac

95. Baird

96. Balloch

97. Boyd

98. Calder

99. Dalziel

100. Dinsmore

101. Eachan

102. Errol

103. Erskine

104. Farlan

105. Farquhar

106. Fingal

107. Gilchrist

108. Kelso

109. Kerr

110. Mingus

111. Lochlin

112. Lockie

113. Nairn

114. Ogilvy

115. Oisein

116. Paton

117. Quany

118. Quarrie

119. Roban

120. Robertson

121. Rosston

123. Ruairidh

124. Ruskin

125. Seumas

126. Sholto

127. Tavish

128. Torquil

129. Tor

130. Urquhart

131. Wiley

What are the most popular baby boy names in Scotland?

Here are the 20 most popular boy names in Scotland, according to the official list from the National Records of Scotland. As you'll see, they're not all Scottish in origin, with Scottish parents drawing inspiration from Greek or Latin-origin names, as well as traditionally English ones:

Scottish Gaelic baby boy names

Scottish or Scots Gaelic is a language that developed out of Old Irish and has been spoken and written in Scotland since the 13th century, and until at least the 17th century, was the common language of most Scots. There are many fewer native speakers these days but Scottish Gaelic baby boy names remain popular choices both inside and outside Scotland for their tough, rugged sound and the proud centuries of history they evoke.

132. Aibne

133. Ailbeart

134. Aillig

135. Aindrea

136. Aonghas

137. Balgair

138. Bothain

139. Cailean

140. Coinneach

141. Daibhidh

142. Deorsa

143. Donal

144. Ewan

145. Fearghas

145. Griorgair

146. Nathair

147. Raghnall

148. Raibeart

149. Somhairle

150. Ualan

151. Uarraig

152. Uisdean

Cool Scottish baby boy names

If you like the Scottish burr but you're wanting boy names with more style than tradition, this next group of super-cool names is for you. All of them have their origins firmly in Scotland but they are names that slide off the tongue in smooth, chilled style.

153. Adie

154. Alick

155. Ansley

156. Blaine

157. Braden

158. Brice

159. Bryson

160. Camden

161. Chatton

162. Clyde

163. Darach

164. Drew

165. Ellar

166. Evander

167. Innes

168. Kai

168. Kester

169. Ludo

17o. Lyall

171. Niven

172. Quinn

173. Ramsay

174. Ross

175. Scotty

Strong Scottish baby boy names

These Scottish boy names are all bold choices, with a ring of power and authority. Some, like Bhaltair and Caiden, have meanings that describe courage and vigour in battle, while others, like Acair and Tremaine have meanings that speak of inner firmness and fortitude.

176. Acair

177. Arran

178. Bhaltair

179. Caelen

180. Caiden

181. Carrick

182. Dand

183. Iver

184. Laith

185. Magnus

186. Manas

187. Marcus

188. Murdo

189. Niall

190. Neilan

191. Ritchie

192. Rodric

193. Ronald

194. Shaw

195. Sloan

196. Taggart

197. Tasgal

198. Torran

199. Tremaine

When do I have to choose my baby boy's name by?

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland new parents have 42 days to register their baby’s name once they are born. In Scotland, you will be expected to register your baby’s birth (and name) within 3 weeks of their birth. Once you've picked your newborn's name, contact your local register office for an appointment to go in and register their birth. You will need to take some identification with you on the day to prove who you are and some registrars may ask to see your baby’s red book, which is their personal health record. When you register the birth, you will be asked your baby’s full name as well as details about when and where they were born. The birth must be registered by the baby’s mother or father. If you are unmarried and go to the register office alone, you will need to bring a declaration of parentage form signed by the other parent with you.

Short Scottish baby boy names

If you're looking for a Scottish name that's short and punchy – maybe because your child will have a long, multi-syllabic surname– this next group is for you. All of the Scottish baby boy names in this next group are no more than 5 letters long, and have been selected for their strong but simple style. Some of them are diminutive versions of other Scottish names – like Gil, which comes from Gilchrist – but others are short but perfectly formed baby boy names in their own right.

200. Alan

201. Bean

202. Coll

203. Doug

204. Dow

205. Duff

206. Evin

207. Fyn

208. Gil

209. Gus

210. Hay

211. Jim

212. Kyle

213. Mac

214. Mathe

215. Ness

216. Rae

217. Ray

218. Todd

219. Willy

Nature-inspired Scottish baby boy names

Scotland is a land of wide, open highlands, lowlands and islands, all brimming with natural beauty – so it's no surprise that there are some lovely Scottish boy names that have meanings that reflect the natural world. We've gathered together a group of brilliant boy names that pay homage to the glorious Scottish landscape – plus one name, Gavan, that's named after a white hawk.

220. Annan

221. Balfour

222. Barclay

223. Bruce

224. Cullen

225. Culley

226. Irving

227. Glen

228. Gavan

229. Kelvin

230. Muir

How to choose the right Scottish name for your baby boy

So you've gone through our list and picked out all the baby boy names you like – but how do you narrow these picks down to the one that's right for your baby? To help you out, here are some tips to bear in mind when discussing your short (or long!) list with your partner:

Pic: Getty Images

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Authors

Helen BrownHead of Content Delivery

Helen is author of the classic advice book Parenting for Dummies and a mum of 3. Before joining MadeForMums, she was Head of Community at Mumsnet and also the Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby.

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