Scottish Name Generator

Scottish names come from three overlapping traditions. Scottish Gaelic gives the Highlands and Islands names like Ruairidh, Eilidh, Mairead and Dòmhnall, often with accents (the grave accent marks a long vowel, as in Sìne or Mòrag) and anglicised twins such as Rory, Ailie, Margaret and Donald. The Lowlands and Borders lean on Scots and Norman-influenced names such as Wallace, Elspeth, Archibald and Grizel. Norse settlement in Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides left Magnus, Torquil, Ronald (from Rögnvaldr) and Somerled behind.

Surnames are where Scotland is most distinctive. "Mac" means "son of", so MacDonald, MacLeod and MacKenzie were originally patronymics that hardened into clan names, and clan chiefs are still styled by territory (Cameron of Lochiel, MacLeod of Lewis). Lowland surnames are frequently place-based (Douglas, Crawford, Dunbar, Galloway) or occupational (Stewart from steward, Baxter from baker), and many families are "septs" attached to a larger clan.

A convincing Scottish name pairs the right era with the right region. A 1745 Jacobite might be Alasdair MacGillivray, a Victorian Edinburgh lawyer more likely James Ogilvie, and a modern Glaswegian could easily be Kirsty Anderson. Match Gaelic first names with Highland clan surnames, keep Lowland names with Lowland surnames, and use accented Gaelic spellings only where the character or setting would actually speak Gaelic.