What name means beautiful in Scottish?

Scottish Girls Names

Welcome to our Scottish girls’ names website. On this website, you’ll find information so that you can discover the full wonders of Scottish female names including:

• Comprehensive list of names and their meaning
• The most popular girls’ names
• Help and tips for choosing a Scottish baby name
• And detailed information on individual names
• The History and Background of Scottish Names for Girls

Our Comprehensive List

Here’s the list of first names as promised, we have grouped them alphabetically.

Scottish Girl Names

Scottish girl names are a diverse group. but they’re all rich with the history and culture of this small but colorful country.

We’ve put together a hand-picked selection of Scottish baby girl names.

Some are traditional (ancient Celtic or Gaelic, or Olde English) , others have the flavor of European countries who have touched Scottish history.

You’ll also find the meaning of each name so that you can pick the perfect ‘fit’ for your little one.

Naming Traditions For Girls In Scotland

You’ll see that some of the Scottish girl names on this list have the suffix ‘ina’. This is a uniquely Scottish trait!

It was traditional to add these three letters to the end of a boys name to turn it into the feminine version.

And sometimes the name would then just be shortened to ‘Ina’, resulting in a lot of ‘Inas’ all with different forenames. A little confusing at times.

In Scotland, ‘first’ names are know as ‘forenames’, and ‘last’ names as ‘surnames’.

If you’d like to learn more about the naming culture in Scotland CLICK HERE (link will open in a new window).

As an added ‘bonus’ we’ve added the ‘Top 20 Girl Names in Scotland’ for the years 2016, 2017/18 and 2019 below the list.

Name

Origin & Meaning

If you want to see which girl names are popular in Scotland today, here’s a (provisional) list of the Top 20 Scottish Girl Names for 2016 (according to the National Records of Scotland website).

There aren’t too many of the traditional Scottish girl names listed above, but you’ll see some modern variants.

To see learn more about the trends and statistics of baby names in Scotland, check out this page Babies First Names 2016

The Top 20 Scottish Girls Names for 2017 recorded by the National Records of Scotland website has mostly the same names as in 2016, with two new ones creeping in.

The order has changed, some names have moved up and some down. Here’s how the table looks for 2017.

11. Lily (tied with Lucy)

11. Lucy (tied with Lily)

19. Hannah (new addition)

According to the National Records of Scotland not a whole lot changed for 2018, but there are a couple of new additions (while Millie and Hannah drop out of the top 20.

So, the list of the most popular girls names in Scotland for 2018 is:

19. Eilidh (new addition. Pronounced Ay-lee)

20. Mia (new addition)

Taking a look at the most popular Scottish girl names for 2020 you can see below that Olivia has been toppled from the #1 spot, and replaced with Isla. This is the first time Isla has been in the number one spot.

One of my daughters is expecting a baby and Isla is her first pick for a girl, so it’s interesting to know that it’s popular right now!

Although they don’t feature in the top 20 Scottish baby girl names listed below, two names that made huge leaps this year are Maeve and Ayda.

These names and stats are from the birth registration records in Scotland for 2020. Want to know more? See the full PDF report from the National Records of Scotland HERE.

Scottish First Names

Discover the meaning of Scottish names and browse our list of Scottish boy names and Scottish girl names for beautiful name inspiration.

Scotland is rife with history, conflict, culture, and mythology. From the magical highlands to the moors filled with heather, Scotland is undoubtedly a land of magic.

Growing up, Braveheart was my favorite movie, an odd movie for a teenager to love, but I have always been enchanted by all things Celtic. Both my children have Celtic names, one Scottish, of course!

History buffs love learning about Scotland’s ancient and intertwining past with England, Ireland, France, Spain, the Vikings, and the myriad of connections and betrayals amongst Scottish tribes.

Scotland is a wondrous place, and many Americans have ancestral ties to the ancient nation. So if you’re looking for the perfect Scottish name for your future lass or lad, then look no further than our list of Scottish baby names and meanings!

Scottish Girl Names and Meanings

1. Agnes — Greek. Pure or virginal.
2. Alba — Latin. White.
3. Aileen — The Scots version of Evelyn it means light.
4. Ailish — A popular Scottish name that means noble.
5. Ann — A Hebrew name meaning graceful.
6. Bonnie — This adorable Scottish name means pretty or beautiful.
7. Catriona — Pure.
8. Cordelia — Welsh. Pure-hearted. The favorite daughter in Shakespeare’s King Lear.
9. Davonna — A leader.
10. Eileen — Angel-like, angelic.
11. Eilidh — A diminutive form of Alice or Elizabeth.
12. Elspeth — Scottish form of Elizabeth. God is my oath.
13. Fenella — A Celtic name that means white-shouldered one.
14. Fiona — Feminine or fair.
15. Finlay — Irish origins. It means fair-haired one.
16. Jean — A French name that was quite popular in Scotland for centuries meaning God is gracious.
17. Kenna — Irish Gaelic. Pretty woman or fire born.
18. Lachina — Land of Lakes.
19. Lainey — Shining light.
20. Lilias — Latin. Lily.
21. Lorna — Victory or honor.
22. Iona — A Scottish baby girl place name for an island off the coast of Scotland.
23. Isla/Islay— This Gaelic name comes from an island off the west coast of Scotland. Isla is also the Spanish word for island.
24. Isobel — The Gaelic version of Isabella, which means pledged to God.
25. Mackenzie — This adorable name has a few different interpretations. First is the son of Kenneth. The second is that it means fire-born or son of the ruler. And third, is attractive or pleasant to look at.
26. Mckinley — A common surname in Ireland and Scotland, it is a popular baby name that means son of Finlay.
27. Maisie — Pearl. A Scottish Gaelic version of Margaret.
28. Margaret — A greek name meaning pearl.
29. Mirren — Beloved.
30. Morag — The Scottish version of Srah. It means princess.
31. Reyne — Latin origins, it means lady or ruler.
32. Shona — The Scottish Gaelic form of Joan. God is gracious.
33. Una — Irish. Lamb.
34. Vaila — Foreign Isle.

Scottish Boy Names and Meanings

1. Alasdair/Alastair/Alistair — The Scottish version of Alexander.
2. Andrew — A name with Greek origins meaning brave man. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.
3. Angus — The Anglicized version of the Scottish Gaelic Aonghas. It means one strength.
4. Aodh — Fire.
5. Archibald — English. Truly Bold. Archibald is a bit archaic for a baby boy, but you could do what Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex did and use Archie.
6. Baird — One of the Scottish baby names making a comeback as a trendy name, it means minstrel or poet.
7. Bernard — Strong as a bear.
8. Blaine/Blane — Slender.
9. Brodic/Brodick — Scandinavian/Scottish. Brother.
10. Bruce — French/English. Brushwood or thicket. It was a common Scottish surname for nobles. The first Scottish King was Robert the Bruce.
11. Bryson — Son of a nobleman. Son of Bryce.
12. Calum/Callum — A derivative of Malcolm, it means dove. Another version of the name is Colm.
13. Clyde — The name of a river in Scotland.
14. Davis — Welsh. Son of David.
15. Donal — Used in Scottish and Irish, it means world mighty or world rule.
16. Douglas — Dark stream.
17. Duncan — A name with Gaelic origins, it means dark warrior.
18. Ewan — By the yew tree, born of the yew tree, or youth, also spelled Euan.
19. Fraser — Strawberry. A cute baby name for a red-head!
20. Graham — Scottish. Gravelly homestead.
21. Hamish — A Scottish version of the name James.
22. Ian — A Scottish name with Hebrew origins meaning God is gracious.
23. James — Hebrew Supplanter. The name of the Stuart King who ruled both Scotland and Ireland. Mary Queen of Scots’s son.
24. Knox — Rounded hilltop.
25. Lachlan — A name that became popular during the Viking era, it means from the land of lakes.
26. Leith — Flowing water.
27. Mac — A preface that used to mean son of and is now used as a first name.
28. Malcolm — A devotee of Saint Columba.
29. Ramsay — Old English. Garlic island or low-lying island.
30. Ross— From the peninsula.
31. Scott — A Scotsman.
32. Stewart — Old English. Servant or Steward. Stuart or Stweart was the surname for Scotland’s royal family in the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras.
33. Wallace — Old French. Meant foreigner or Welsh. William Wallace was the real-life warrior depicted by Mel Gibson in the film Braveheart.

Gender-Neutral Scottish Names

1. Adair — English. Fortune or spear.
2. Blair — Scottish. Field or plain. A battlefield.
3. Blake — Dark-haired.
4. Cameron — Crooked nose or crooked river.
5. Campbell — Crooked mouth
6. Drew — A diminutive form of Andrew, it means manly or brave.
7. Greer — Scottish. Watchful or vigilant.
8. Jaime — Hebrew. He who supplants.
9. Lennox — Elm grove.
10. Lindsey/Lindsay — Where the linden tree grows.
11. Lyle — A person who resides on an island.
12. Payton/Peyton — Royal.
13. Quinn — Head or wise.
14. Reagan — Irish. Son of the little king. One of the daughters of Shakespeare’s King Lear.
15. Rory — Irish. Red king.
16. Rowan — Irish. Little redhead.
17. Skye — This unique and adorable unisex name is a place name from the famed Isle of Skye.
18. Slaine — Despite how this name sounds, it actually means someone of good health.