Scottish Name Generator

Scottish given names and Mac surnames assembled from real Gaelic, Norse and Scots elements, each shown with its attested meaning.

2,601,450 combinations

Glenchad Mac Dufflia
Glen valley + chad war
Mac Duff son of black + lia grey
son of black, the grey
Gealoir Nic Arttren
Geal shining + oir gold
Nic Art daughter of bear + tren stout
daughter of bear, the stout
Kinrig Muir
Kin head + rig furrow
Muir sea
Gowster Mac Calluath
Gow smith + ster holding
Mac Cal son of dove + luath swift
son of dove, the swift
Beathalinn Nic Ciarmore
Beatha life + linn pool
Nic Ciar daughter of dusky + more big
daughter of dusky, the big
Strathbrack Stewart
Strath wide valley + brack speckled
Stewart steward
Ardrig Mac Conmod
Ard high + rig ridge
Mac Con son of hound + mod courage
son of hound, the courage
Muirnbane Nic Aodhbeg
Muirn joy + bane pale
Nic Aodh daughter of fire + beg small
daughter of fire, the small
Pitglas Muir
Pit farm + glas green
Muir sea
Torclinn Mac Torlia
Torc boar + linn pool
Mac Tor son of hill + lia grey
son of hill, the grey
Donness Nic Mallia
Donn brown + ness headland
Nic Mal daughter of devotee + lia grey
daughter of devotee, the grey
Carsebost Kirk
Carse riverside flat + bost farmstead
Kirk church
Malmod Mac Bangus
Mal devotee + mod courage
Mac Ban son of fair + gus vigour
son of fair, the vigour
Dorchsona Nic Artgeal
Dorch dark + sona happy
Nic Art daughter of bear + geal bright
daughter of bear, the bright
Blairtoun Campbell
Blair plain + toun steading
Campbell crooked mouth
Torster Mac Royvald
Tor mound + ster holding
Mac Roy son of red + vald ruler
son of red, the ruler
Calaroy Nic Finbeg
Cala harbour + roy red
Nic Fin daughter of white + beg small
daughter of white, the small
Kyleary Shaw
Kyle strait + ary shieling
Shaw wood
Morgus Mac Torroy
Mor great + gus vigour
Mac Tor son of hill + roy russet
son of hill, the russet
Oighan Nic Malmod
Oigh maiden + an little
Nic Mal daughter of devotee + mod courage
daughter of devotee, the courage
Torhaugh Kirk
Tor rocky mound + haugh flood meadow
Kirk church
Camford Mac Aonie
Cam crooked + ford crossing
Mac Aon son of one + ie little
son of one, the little
Fincrom Nic Cathroy
Fin white + crom bent
Nic Cath daughter of battle + roy russet
daughter of battle, the russet
Daley Blair
Dal field + ey island
Blair plain

Need a name that means something in particular? Build one from its meaning.

How Scottish names are built

Etymology

¶Scottish Gaelic given names are built from two words that still mean something. Donn brown plus cath battle gives Donnchadh, anglicised Duncan; fionn fair plus laoch hero gives Fionnlagh, now Findlay; aon one plus gus vigour gives Aonghas, or Angus. The Norse who settled the Hebrides left their own stock in the same system, so Torcuil is Thor's cauldron, Somhairle is the summer traveller and Raghnall is the ruler who counsels.

Mac is simply the Gaelic word for son, and a surname is the father's name in the genitive behind it: Mac Dhomhnaill, son of Domhnall, is MacDonald. A daughter takes Nic, the contracted form of the phrase meaning daughter of son of, so MacLeod's daughter is NicLeoid. Clan names grew out of these patronymics and then hardened into badges of allegiance, which is why septs with unrelated surnames still answer to one chief.

Two languages share the map. In the Highlands and Islands the elements are Gaelic and Norse: dun a fort, cill a monastic cell, inbhir a confluence, and the Norse vik a bay, bolstadr a farmstead, nes a headland. In the Lowlands they are Scots, a Germanic tongue: burn for a stream, law for a rounded hill, haugh for river meadow, shaw for a copse, toun for a steading. A layer of Pictish survives too, in Pit and Aber.

More scottish names

Male scottish names

Gealknowe Mac Dufftren bright knoll
Muirthwaite Mac Artan sea clearing
Somerford Mac Muirog summer crossing
Glenbane Mac Calbrack valley pale
Kylerig Mac Malock strait ridge
Dailock Mac Contren field little
Craigwood Mac Niaan rock forest
Gowchad Mac Cathgus smith war
Craigmore Mac Gowlay rock big
Gleninch Mac Aodhquil valley water meadow
Lochan Mac Mallay lake little
Gormholm Mac Muirquil blue islet
Shanall Mac Conquil old mighty
Shanknowe Mac Garvlia old knoll
Dergknowe Mac Eachreoch red knoll
Gowlaw Mac Cathtren smith round summit
Gormbost Mac Conie blue farmstead
Lochay Mac Gormmod lake isle

Female scottish names

Dorchtren Nic Finbane dark strong
Fialdale Nic Banbrack generous dell
Fialan Nic Artgall generous little
Siangarv Nic Aonduff storm rugged
Uisgemeen Nic Banmore water smooth
Saray Nic Roybeg excellent isle
Fialoir Nic Artmod generous gold
Sneachdgill Nic Cathduff snow ravine
Gealtren Nic Trenquil shining strong
Muirnmall Nic Trenog joy slow
Oighog Nic Garvluath maiden young
Lasairreoch Nic Torreoch flame brindled
Beathaburn Nic Garvled life stream
Oighlaw Nic Garvan maiden round summit
Gealmore Nic Donbeg shining tall
Oighgarv Nic Artlia maiden rugged
Gealachshaw Nic Banled moon copse
Oighbrack Nic Gilgall maiden freckled

Neutral scottish names

Tarbetdale Forbes isthmus dell
Kilroy Innes monastic cell red
Ardbuie Innes height yellow
Inverfada Baxter river confluence long
Blairbrack Forbes plain speckled
Balness Glen homestead point
Rossrig Baxter promontory furrow
Uigbrae Baxter bay hillside
Strathay Webster wide valley isle
Auchtoun Shaw field steading
Dalie Muir field little
Blairhaugh Campbell plain flood meadow
Sgurrmore MacLeod peak big
Glenmount MacLeod valley summit
Pitkyle Craig farm narrow
Braidgarv Craig broad rough
Lochgill Muir lake ravine
Craigmore Cameron rock big

Questions

FAQ

Is Mac Scottish or Irish?

Both, because both countries speak forms of Gaelic and mac is the ordinary word for son. It runs through Irish surnames such as MacCarthy and Scottish ones such as MacGregor. Nothing about the spelling marks nationality, so a Mac surname alone cannot tell you which side of the water a family came from.

What is the difference between Mac and Mc?

Nothing but abbreviation. Mc, and the older M', are contractions clerks used to save space, and the same family often appears all three ways in successive records. Neither form is Irish rather than Scottish, and neither is more authentic. Capitalisation of the following letter is equally a matter of printing habit.

What are common Scottish surnames?

Smith, Brown, Wilson, Robertson, Campbell, Stewart, Thomson, Anderson, Macdonald and Scott top the registers. Campbell is cam beul, crooked mouth; Cameron is cam sron, crooked nose; Stewart is an office, the steward of the royal household; Macdonald is son of Domhnall, whose own name means world-mighty.

What is a clan name?

Clann is Gaelic for children, so a clan is the family of a chief, real or claimed. The chief's patronymic became the clan name, and tenants, allies and incomers often took it as well. That is why sept lists attach quite different surnames to one clan, and why bearing a clan name proves loyalty rather than descent.

Are Scottish and Irish names the same?

They overlap heavily and then diverge. Both use the same Gaelic word stock and the mac patronymic, so Donnchadh and Fionnlagh belong to both. Ireland uses the O prefix, which Scotland almost never does; Scotland has a Norse layer from the Hebrides and a Scots layer in the Lowlands that Ireland lacks.