Scottish Last Name Generator
Clan, Borders, island and trade surnames of Scotland
Generate real Scottish last names, from Highland clan names like MacGillivray and Farquharson to Borders families like Armstrong and Elliot, island names like Isbister and Linklater, and old spellings like Menzies and Colquhoun. Surnames only, ready to pair with any first name.
About Scottish last names
Scottish surnames fall into a few clear families, and knowing which is which makes a character easier to place. The best known are the Highland clan names. Mac is Gaelic for "son of", and Mc is simply a shorter way of writing it, so MacGillivray, MacCrimmon and McFadzean belong to the same tradition. Alongside the chiefly names (Campbell, Fraser, Munro) are the septs, smaller families that followed a clan, such as MacSporran and MacCodrum.
The south has its own stock: the Borders riding families (Armstrong, Elliot, Kerr, Johnstone), the Lowland houses (Douglas, Hamilton, Maitland) and the many surnames taken from lands and parishes, such as Abercrombie, Wemyss and Auchterlonie. Orkney and Shetland, which were under the Norwegian crown until the 1460s, have names found almost nowhere else: Isbister, Linklater, Flett, Halcro, Laurenson. Trades gave Baxter (baker), Webster (weaver), Soutar (shoemaker) and Gow (smith).
The list also keeps traditional spellings. The z in Menzies, Dalziel and Gilzean stands for the old Scots letter yogh, which is why Menzies is traditionally said "Mingis". About thirty names are given in Scottish Gaelic, such as MacDhòmhnaill (MacDonald) and Caimbeul (Campbell). All 500 are surnames only, ready to pair with a first name.
How to choose Scottish last names
- Let the surname place the character. Mac names point to the Highlands and Hebrides, Armstrong or Pringle to the Borders, Isbister or Flett to Orkney, Wyness, Duthie or Mutch to the north-east, and McGuffie or MacClumpha to Galloway.
- Check the pronunciation before you commit. Menzies is traditionally "Mingis", Dalziel "Dee-ell", Colquhoun "Ca-hoon", Marjoribanks "Marchbanks", Wemyss "Weems", Ruthven "Rivven" and Home "Hume".
- Treat Mac and Mc as the same prefix. Families differ on spelling and on the capital letter that follows (MacDonald or Macdonald), so choose one form for a family and keep it consistent.
- Use the Gaelic forms for Gaelic-speaking or early characters: MacDhòmhnaill for MacDonald, Friseal for Fraser, Camshron for Cameron. In Gaelic a woman traditionally takes Nic in place of Mac.
- Pair a long surname with a short first name and the reverse. Isla Farquharson and Alasdair Gow both read well aloud; say the full name once before you settle on it.
Frequently asked questions
What are common Scottish last names?
The most common surnames in Scotland today include Smith, Brown and Wilson, which are shared with England, alongside Campbell, Stewart, Thomson, Robertson and MacDonald. This list leaves out the first three and leans toward names that signal Scotland at a glance, such as Drummond, MacKinnon, Cruickshank and Sinclair.
What is the difference between Mac and Mc?
There is none in meaning. Both come from the Gaelic word for son, and Mc began as a written abbreviation of Mac. The idea that one is Scottish and the other Irish is a myth: both spellings are found in both countries, which is why this list has MacLeod and MacRae next to McKie and McSkimming.
Are these real Scottish surnames?
Yes. Every entry is a surname with a history in Scotland or a traditional spelling of one, and none is invented. That includes uncommon local names such as Velzian, Pitblado, Swankie and Yellowlees, and the Gaelic forms such as Mac an t-Saoir (MacIntyre).
Why is Menzies pronounced Mingis?
Older Scots used a letter called yogh, which looked much like a z with a tail and stood for a y or ng sound. Printers replaced it with z, so the spelling changed while the traditional pronunciation did not. The same letter hides in Dalziel, Zuill, Cadzow, Gilzean and MacKenzie, although MacKenzie is now almost always said as it is spelled.
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All 500 Scottish last names
A: 13 names
- Abercrombie
- Affleck
- Aikman
- Aitchison
- Allan
- Allardyce
- Anstruther
- Armour
- Armstrong
- Auchincloss
- Auchinleck
- Auchterlonie
- Auld
B: 28 names
- Baikie
- Baillie
- Bain
- Bairnson
- Balfour
- Ballantyne
- Balnaves
- Bannatyne
- Barron
- Baxter
- Beaton
- Beattie
- Begbie
- Begg
- Bethune
- Beveridge
- Birrell
- Bisset
- Blackadder
- Bonar
- Bremner
- Brewster
- Brisbane
- Brodie
- Broun
- Bruce
- Buchanan
- Buist
C: 38 names
- Cadzow
- Caimbeul
- Caird
- Cameron
- Campbell
- Camshron
- Cargill
- Carnegie
- Carruthers
- Carstairs
- Carswell
- Cathcart
- Chalmers
- Charteris
- Chisholm
- Christie
- Cleland
- Clerk
- Clouston
- Clunie
- Clydesdale
- Cochrane
- Colquhoun
- Coltart
- Comyn
- Cordiner
- Corrigall
- Coull
- Couper
- Coutts
- Craik
- Cranston
- Crerar
- Crozier
- Cruickshank
- Cumming
- Cuninghame
- Cursiter
D: 25 names
- Dalgarno
- Dallas
- Dalmahoy
- Dalyell
- Dalziel
- Darroch
- Dearness
- Delday
- Dempster
- Dewar
- Dingwall
- Dinwiddie
- Dobie
- Doig
- Dorward
- Douglas
- Dow
- Drever
- Drummond
- Drysdale
- Duff
- Duncan
- Durie
- Durward
- Duthie
E: 8 names
- Eadie
- Edmonstone
- Eliott
- Elliot
- Elphinstone
- Erskine
- Esson
- Eunson
F: 17 names
- Fairlie
- Falconer
- Farquharson
- Fergusson
- Ferrier
- Fettes
- Finlay
- Flett
- Flockhart
- Folster
- Forbes
- Foubister
- Fowlie
- Fraser
- Friseal
- Frizell
- Fyfe
G: 32 names
- Galbraith
- Galt
- Gardiner
- Garrioch
- Gartshore
- Geddes
- Geikie
- Gellatly
- Gemmell
- Gilfillan
- Gillanders
- Gillies
- Gilmour
- Gilruth
- Gilzean
- Gladstone
- Glassford
- Glennie
- Gloag
- Gordon
- Goudie
- Gourlay
- Gow
- Gowans
- Graham
- Granndach
- Grant
- Grierson
- Grieve
- Groat
- Groundwater
- Gunn
H: 19 names
- Halcro
- Halcrow
- Haldane
- Hamilton
- Hannay
- Harcus
- Harkness
- Hay
- Heddle
- Hendry
- Hepburn
- Herd
- Heriot
- Herries
- Hislop
- Home
- Hoseason
- Hourston
- Hutcheon
I: 5 names
- Imrie
- Inglis
- Inkster
- Inverarity
- Isbister
J: 3 names
- Jaffray
- Johnstone
- Junor
K: 10 names
- Keddie
- Keiller
- Kelman
- Kennedy
- Kerr
- Kinghorn
- Kininmonth
- Kinnear
- Kirkness
- Kynoch
L: 19 names
- Laidlaw
- Laird
- Lamond
- Laurenson
- Lawrie
- Learmonth
- Leask
- Leckie
- Leishman
- Leitch
- Lennox
- Leslie
- Lindesay
- Linklater
- Lithgow
- Litster
- Lorimer
- Loudoun
- Louttit
M: 183 names
- Mac a' Phearsain
- Mac an Aba
- Mac an t-Saoir
- Mac an Tòisich
- MacAmhlaidh
- MacAoidh
- MacAonghais
- MacAra
- MacArthur
- MacAskill
- MacAulay
- MacBean
- MacBrayne
- MacCaig
- MacCallum
- MacCaskill
- MacClumpha
- MacClymont
- MacCodrum
- MacCoinnich
- MacColl
- MacCormick
- MacCorquodale
- MacCracken
- MacCrimmon
- MacCrindle
- MacCubbin
- MacCuish
- MacCutcheon
- MacDhòmhnaill
- MacDhùghaill
- MacDiarmid
- MacDonald
- MacDonell
- MacDougall
- MacDowall
- MacEachen
- MacEwen
- MacFadyen
- MacFarlane
- MacFarquhar
- MacFhionghain
- MacGhie
- MacGilleBhràth
- MacGilleEathain
M, continued
- MacGillivray
- MacGlashan
- MacGowan
- MacGregor
- MacGriogair
- MacHaffie
- MacHardy
- MacHarg
- MacIlwraith
- MacInnes
- MacIntyre
- MacÌomhair
- MacJannet
- MacKay
- MacKeith
- MacKelvie
- MacKendrick
- MacKenzie
- MacKillop
- MacKinlay
- MacKinnon
- Mackintosh
- MacKirdy
- MacLachlan
- MacLaine
- MacLaren
- MacLean
- MacLeay
- MacLeish
- MacLennan
- MacLeod
- MacLeòid
- MacLintock
- MacLullich
- MacLure
- MacMhathain
- MacMhuirich
- MacMillan
- MacMorran
- MacMurchie
- MacMurdo
- MacNab
- MacNair
- MacNeil
- MacNeilage
- MacNèill
M, continued
- MacNeish
- MacNiven
- MacPhail
- MacPhàrlain
- MacPhedran
- MacPhee
- MacPherson
- MacQuarrie
- MacQuhae
- MacRae
- MacRaild
- MacRath
- MacRitchie
- MacRorie
- MacSorley
- MacSporran
- MacTavish
- MacVurich
- MacWattie
- MacWhannell
- Mainland
- Mair
- Maitland
- Malcolm
- Maltman
- Manson
- Marjoribanks
- Marwick
- Matheson
- Mavor
- Maxwell
- McAdam
- McAlpine
- McConnachie
- McCorkindale
- McCosh
- McCrae
- McCreadie
- McCrone
- McCrorie
- McEwan
- McFadzean
- McGarvie
- McGavin
- McGeoch
- McGhee
M, continued
- McGill
- McGonagall
- McGuffie
- McHarrie
- McIndoe
- McIvor
- McKerlie
- McKerrow
- McKie
- McKinnell
- McLatchie
- McLuckie
- McMinn
- McMurtrie
- McNaught
- McRobb
- McSkimming
- McTurk
- McVitie
- McWhinnie
- Mearns
- Meikle
- Meiklejohn
- Meldrum
- Mennie
- Menteith
- Menzies
- Methven
- Michie
- Middlemass
- Millar
- Milligan
- Minto
- Moffat
- Moir
- Moireasdan
- Moncreiffe
- Monteith
- Montgomerie
- Morrison
- Mouat
- Munro
- Murdoch
- Mure
- Murray
- Mutch
N: 4 names
- Nicol
- Nicolson
- Niven
- Norquoy
O: 5 names
- Ogg
- Ogilvy
- Ollason
- Orrock
- Ouchterlony
P: 13 names
- Paplay
- Paton
- Penman
- Peterkin
- Philp
- Pirie
- Pitblado
- Pittendrigh
- Porteous
- Pottinger
- Pringle
- Purves
- Pyper
R: 14 names
- Rae
- Ralston
- Ramsay
- Ratter
- Reid
- Rendall
- Riddell
- Ritchie
- Robb
- Robertson
- Rothach
- Roy
- Runciman
- Ruthven
S: 31 names
- Sabiston
- Sandison
- Sangster
- Scollay
- Scott
- Scrymgeour
- Shand
- Shaw
- Sinclair
- Siosal
- Skea
- Skene
- Snodgrass
- Somerville
- Soutar
- Spalding
- Spittal
- Sproat
- Steuart
- Stewart
- Stirling
- Stiùbhart
- Stoddart
- Strachan
- Stuart
- Sturrock
- Sutherland
- Sutor
- Swankie
- Swanney
- Syme
T: 12 names
- Tailyour
- Tait
- Tannahill
- Telfer
- Thomson
- Threipland
- Tocher
- Tolmie
- Tosh
- Tough
- Traquair
- Turnbull
U: 3 names
- Udny
- Umphray
- Urquhart
V: 3 names
- Vass
- Veitch
- Velzian
W: 11 names
- Wallace
- Wardrop
- Watt
- Wauchope
- Webster
- Wedderburn
- Wemyss
- Wilkie
- Windwick
- Wotherspoon
- Wyness
Y: 3 names
- Yellowlees
- Yorston
- Younie