50 most common Scottish Surnames and their Origins

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Derived from the Anglo-Saxon "smitan," to smite or strike, SMITH and its derivations are an occupational name for a man who works with metal (smith or blacksmith), one of the earliest jobs for which specialist skills were required.

Refers to the colour of the individual's complexion, color of hair, or garments and may have come from the Gaelic name 'donn' (brown), it is also the 5th mosst common surname in the US.

Son of Will. It is a nickname for William.

Son of a man known as Thom

Son of Robert

From the Scots Gaelic 'Caimbeul' from the Gaelic cam meaning 'crooked or distorted' and beul for 'mouth' Gillespie O Duibhne was the first to have borne the name, and founded clan Campbell at the beginning of the 13th century.

Stewart is an occupational name for a steward or manager of a household or estate

Patronymic surname meaning 'son of Andrew'

Derived from Gaelic and is a patronymic surname meaning 'son of Donald', which means world ruler

Scott is an ethnic or geographical name signifying a native from Scotland or a person who spoke Gaelic

A descriptive name or nickname signifying a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion

A name given to a man from the region in Scotland, called Moray, which means 'by the sea'

An occupational name for a tailor, from Old French 'tailleur' which comes from the Latin 'taliare' meaning 'to cut'

From Gaelic 'Mac a' Chlerich/Cleireach' son of the cleric, a clerk or anyone who could read and write

A common form or corruption of the given name Michael, meaning 'big'"

Gaelic origins from ros, a peninsula, isthmus, or promontory signifying someone who lived on a headland

Walker is an occupational surname for a fuller, or one who 'walked' on raw, damp cloth in order to thicken it.

A patronymic name meaning 'son of Patrick', The given name Patrick is from the Roman name Patricius, which meant 'nobleman' in Latin.

Used as a descriptive name to distinguish father from son or to the younger of two relatives with the same first name

Watson is a patronymic surname meaning 'son of Watt' or Walter

Patronymic name meaning 'son of Morris' which means 'darkie'

Can be either an occupational surname for one who worker in a grain mill or from the Molindinar (mo-lynn-dine-are), a Scottish burn (rivulet) that still flows under the streets of modern Glasgow

A Norman influence said to derive from 'fraises' the French word for strawberry because the Fraser arms display three silver strawberry flowers on a field of blue

Patronymic name meaning 'son of David' The given name David comes from Hebrew which means beloved

Nickname for a man with gray hair or beard

Patronymic name meaning 'son of Henry' means home ruler.

An Anglicisation of the Gaelic surname MacSeain or MacShane

Place name, derived from 'hamell' meaning 'treeless hill' and 'dun' which means 'settlement'

Place name 'gravelly homestead' or 'grey home' this surname was first used in Scotland in the 12th century

Place name meaning marsh, wet ground overgrown with brushwood.

A patronymic name meaning 'son of Sim' with Sim being a medieval short form of Simon.

A patronymic surname taken from the ancient Latin given name Martinus, derived from Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war

Patronymic name meaning 'son of Fergus' The given name Fergus, comes from Fearghas, derived from the Gaelic 'fear' meaning man, and 'gus' meaning vigor

Derived from the Gaelic 'cam-shron' meaning 'crooked or hook' nose

Derivation of the Gaelic name Donnchadh which means 'brown warrior'

Occuaptional name meaning one who hunts game for a living

Loosely means 'descendant of war' from the ancient Irish name O'Ceallaigh

The name was sometimes taken from the sign of an inn or shop. The sign of a bell was frequently used John at the Bell' became 'John Bell' There is no particular country or province of origin, though the name was fairly prevalent in medieval Scotland

A commoner form of GRAND, meaning big, tall or elder, senior

Son of Comely

Gaelic 'Son of Aodh' which means fire

Derives from "aluinn," meaning fair or handsome

One who was black haired or dark complexioned

Son of Ugly

It is a developed form of the Old Gaelic name 'Mac gille Eoin' which translates as 'the son of the devotee of (St) John'

A patronymic name derived from the given name 'Rousel' old French for someone with red hair or a red face

A patronymic name meaning 'son of Gibb'

A Scottish form of WALLIS, from the Old French 'le waleis' meaning foreigner or stranger

A Scottish place name meaning 'great hill'