140 Cute and Popular Scottish Names with Meanings

Every parent is looking for the right name for their baby. But in doing so, many go for names that aren’t popular for whatever reason.

However, this is a costly mistake because you can’t change the name later.

We’ve all heard stories where parents name their child something that the child ends up growing up to hate it.

How can you avoid that? Do some research and check out some popular Scottish names to get better idea.

Abhainn “River”

Acaiseid – “Anchor”

Achaius – “Friend of a horse”     

Adair – “tree ford”

Adhamh – “Of the earth”             

Aengus – “Unnaturally strong”  

Aibne – “River” 

Ail – “From the stony place”        

Ailbert – “Noble”             

Ailean – “Handsome”     

In the past, some parents have named their child after celebrities or fictional characters. Sometimes the parents themselves will choose a name that is not typical.

Other times they will choose a name that is not common at all.

Some parents are so overwhelmed with the task of naming their child, they opt for a one-word baby name.

And although this has been a popular choice, it’s not always the best decision.

In many cultures around the world, a name is considered an important part of a child’s identity. Besides, it’s a good idea to avoid naming your child the same as their father, which might lead to confusion.

So, what should the perfect baby’s name be? Let’s dive into the list of awesome popular Scottish names.

Ailein – “From the green meadow”         

Aillig – “From the stony place”   

Aindreas – “Strong”        

Ainsley – “my meadow”

Akir – “Anchor” 

Alasdair – “defender of mankind”            

Alastair – “defender”

Albany – “a former”        

Alistair – “defender of mankind”              

Alistaire – “defender of mankind”

Popular Scottish Names

These are the cool and catchy Popular Scottish Names:

Alister – “defender of mankind”               

Allister – “defender of mankind”              

Alpin – “Blond” 

Amhuinn – “From the alder tree river”   

Anderso – “Son of Andrew”        

Aoidh – “Spirited”            

Aonghus – “unnaturally strong”                

Argyle – “the land of the Gauls”

Armstrang – “Strong”     

Armstrong – “Strong”    

Arregaithel – “the Gauls”             

Artair – “Bear”   

Arthur – “bear” 

Athdar – “the oak tree ford”       

Athol – “place name”

Aulay – “forefather”       

Bac – “Bank”      

Baen – “Fair skinned”     

Baigh – “the upper part”               

Baird – “minstrel”

Bairn – “child”    

Baldie – “bald”

Balfour –  “the pastureland”       

Balgaire – “Fox”

Balloch – “From the pasture”      

Balmoral – “the majestic village”               

Banner – “ensign bearer”             

Barclay – “the birch tree meadow”          

Barday – “Berkeley”       

Bartley – “The birch tree meadow”

Popular Scottish Names

Cool Scottish Names

These are the cool and catchy Scottish names:

Campbell – “crooked mouth”

Clyde – “river Clyde”

Connor – “lover of hounds”

Callum – “dove” an

Casey –  “vigilant”

Cian – “ancient”

Cillian –  “little church”

Darragh – oak”

Dougal – as “dark stranger”

Art – “noble one”

Baen – “fair-skinned”

Banner – for “flag bearer”

Blair – “child of the ford”

Breac – “speckled”

Brody – “from the muddy place”

Boyd – “blond”

Brodie – “place”

Aiden – “little and fiery”

Ainsley – “one’s own meadow”

Alec – “abbreviation of Alexander”

Argyle – the “land of Gauls”

Alistair – “defender of mankind“

Angus – the “Scottish play”

Arran – “Aaron”

Athdar – “oak tree ford”

Tips to Naming Your Babies

There are millions of baby names out there, and while most parents decide on a name and stick with it for the rest of their lives, there are some who wish the best for their future child, but don’t have a clue how to choose a name.

These parents may be confused about why they can’t come up with a name for their baby, or they may have tried several times and have given up on the idea.

If you are considering giving your child a name, there are some things you should know:

1.      Pick the name you love, even if it is popular.

It is popular and you love it. Anything else you need to think upon? Nope. Go for it. If you want to give it uniqueness, think of a great middle name.

Here are some popular popular Scottish names out there:

Bean – “Fair skinned”

Bearnard – “Bear strong”

Aili – ay-lee”

Aila – “from a resilient place”

Ailsa – “supernatural victory”

Aileana – “green meadow”

Aggie – “Agatha”

Annella – “a version of Anne”

Bonnie – “ beautiful”

Caitriona – “purity”

2.      Do not skip lovely popular Scottish names even if they are unique, unusual, and different.

Sometimes, parents will not go for unusual, unique, and different baby names. They consider it weird. Let me tell you that being attractive and thought provoking is the game these days.

How would you like these popular Scottish names:

Ceit – “Gaelic spelling”

Caitlin – “Gaelic variation of Catherine”

Curstaidh – “Kirsty”

Cora – “maiden from the coral of the sea”

Donalda – “Donald”

Edme – Variation of Esme”

Elspeth – “derivative of Elizabeth”

Eilidh – A Scottish version of  Ellie”

Elsie – “alternative to Ella and Ellie”

3.      Be confident if you want to go toward personalized spellings for your baby’s name.

SURE. You should be confident when giving personalized spellings to your baby’s name. However, it is important that you do not make it weird.

Adding or removing an alphabet would be enough here.

Try changing these baby names spellings into personalized ones:

 Fiona – It “fair”

Gavenia – G “White Hawk”

Gordania – Of S “heroic”

Heather – “flowering plant”

Iona – “From the Scottish Isle”

Isla – Means “island”

Iseabail – “pledged to God”

Kirstine – “Derived from Christine”

4.      Crossing your favorite popular Scottish names on the feedback on friends and family members.

Feedback is important. But it does not mean to listen to every other person’s opinion. You will hardly find popular Scottish names that everybody would like.

Therefore, get feedback but still know your choice.

Consider getting feedback on these baby names from your friends and family members:

Kenzy – “fair one”

Kyla – “narrow split of land”

Laire – “mare”

Lexy – “Scottish form of Alexandra”

Lilias- “a beautiful”

Mairi – “modern spelling of Mary”

Maisie – meaning “pearl”

Maidie – “young woman”

5.      Do a little research and find what is out there.

Research is important step for the first-time parents as well for those who do not know what sort of names people pick.

You will be all good once you do a little internet research. You will also be able to find some great popular Scottish names that you might consider now or in the future.

Here are some common baby names examples to help you:

Muireall – “bright sea”

Nessa – “the headland”

Norrie – “Northerner”

Paisley – “church”

Rona – “Rhona”

Scotland – “Scottish heritage”

Struana – “from the stream”

Tay – “Taylor Swift”

Wilma – “The Flintstones”

6.      Consider names of the subsequent children.

Maybe, you are first time parents and figuring out some cool popular Scottish name. It is a good idea to consider the names of subsequent children too.

7.      Avoid names with bad meanings.

Baby names with bad meanings can be a cause of embarrassment for you and your kid.

Be sure to know the meaning of the name you are gonna pick and be sure it is encouraging and positive.

Here are some of the cool popular Scottish names with meanings:

Ewan – “born to nobility”

Fingal – “White stranger“

Finley – “fair-haired hero”

Flynn – “son of red-haired one”

Grant – “great”

Gordon – “hill-fort”

Hamish – “supplanted”

Liam – “resolute protection”

8.      Pick up good people names from history.

The name of person has effect on his/her personality, it is said. Maybe, that’s the reason why people choose names from history. You can consider this as well.

I am sure you have heard about many legends from the past. I bet you’d find some awesome and useable popular Scottish names if you look into it.

We have a small list of popular Scottish names here for you to check out and know if you have heard them before:

Maxwell –  “great stream”

Patrick – “nobleman”

Quany – Sim “proud”

Roy – “red”

Rory – “the red-haired king”

Ryan – “little king”

Sean – , “God is gracious”

Tor – “God of thunder”

9.      Make sure the first and second name fit with each other.

This happens rarely that the first and seconds names do not fit and meet each other well. It is, however, something you would not want.

Check out popular Scottish names and try to make full names that fit each other nicely:

Ainslie – “one”s own meadow”

Cameron – “Hollywood movie star”

Camden – “winding valley”

Lennox – “with many elms”

Logan – “little hollow”

Rae – “grace”

Skye – “Isle of Skye”

Wallace – “popular”

10. Avoid names with too many syllables.

Baby names with too many syllables are complex. They are hard to remember. They should be avoided.

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About Maryam Irfan

Maryam Irfan is a BS commerce student. She is a hardworking person. Though new to writing, she still manages to do great work. In her free time, she watches movies and plays games.