With millions of people around the world identifying as Scots – either by dint of being born here or by their blood or even just a love for the culture – Scottish names are once again in vogue.
Helped in no small part by the success of hit TV shows such as Outlander and Still Game, global audiences are being introduced to Scottish culture like never before.
But not all Scottish names are straightforward, with many having Gaelic or even Norse origins, they can often be hard to spell or even say.
They can reflect places in Scotland or mean something you might not expect, we have created a guide that will hopefully help explain where some of these more unusual (to non-Scots) names came from and how you can pronounce them properly.
Male Scottish names
Struan (Stroo-ahn) – originally derived from the Gaelic word for 'stream', may also be a territorial name from the location of the same name in Perthshire.
Lachlan ( Lakh-lun)/Lachie – Pronouncing Lach like loch - as in the Scottish word for lake - this is typically a boy's name which means 'from the lakes'.
Alban (Al-a-bun) – though this name can be similar to the French name, this is an older Scottish name taken from Alba, from the Gaelic word for Scotland.
Angus (Ang-gus) – from the Gaelic Aonghas meaning 'unique one'.
Dair (D-air) – Shortened form of the name Alasdair.
Dod/Doddie – A Scots version of the name George.
Dougal/Dugald (Doo-gal) – derived from the Gaelic Dubhgall meaning 'dark stranger'.
Eck – A shortened form of the name Alexander.
Farquhar (Far-quar) – From the Gaelic meaning 'very dear one'.
Fergus - A name used by Pictish royalty, it comes from the Gaelic root 'ver gustu', meaning 'man of force'.
Shug/Shuggy - Scots version of the name Hugh.
Torquill (Tork-ill) - Gaelic form is Torcuill, which comes from the Old Norse name Thorketil, meaning 'vessel of Thor'.
Female Scottish names
Isla (Aye-la) – This is another island-derived name - this time it's a girl's name which originates from Scotland's whisky island - Islay.
Deirdre – Derived from a Gaelic word meaning 'sorrowful'.
Morven (Mor-ven) - The Celtic meaning of the name is given as 'lives by the sea' but the Scottish meaning is 'big peak'.
Dolina – An older feminine form of the name Donald that's fallen out of fashion.
Eilidh (Ail-lay) – The Gaelic form of Helen.
Morag – Gaelic form of Sarah.
Unisex names
Innis/Innes - Typically a boy's name, though it can be unisex, Innis/Innes comes from the area in Moray, Scotland of the same name. Though it is also thought to derive from the Gaelic term for 'islander'.
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