Scottish surnames

Scottish surnamesaresurnamescurrently found inScotland,or surnames that have a historical connection with the country.

History[edit]

The earliest surnames found in Scotland occur during the reign ofDavid I,King of Scots(1124–53). These wereAnglo-Normannames which had becomehereditaryin England before arriving in Scotland (for example, the contemporary surnamesde Brus,de Umfraville,andRidel). During the reigns of kings David I,Malcolm IVandWilliam the Lion,some inhabitants of Scottish towns wereEnglishandFlemishsettlers, who bore English and continentalpersonal names,with trade names and sometimes nicknames.^[1]One of the earliest sources for surnames in Scotland is theRagman Roll.This document records the deeds ofhomagepledged by Scots nobles toEdward I,King of Englandin 1296. The surnames recorded within are for the most part very similar to those found in England at around the same date, consisting of local, patronymic and occupational names, and nicknames. Some of the local surnames with the roll are derived from places within Scotland; there are very few Gaelic surnames recorded in the roll.^[2]

Categorisation[edit]

Patronymics[edit]

Many Scottish surnames originate from names that were originallypatronyms.Patronyms are derived from theforenameof the bearer's father (for example, the full name of a man namedJohn Donaldsonindicates that the father's name wasDonald). Patronyms change with every successive generation^[3](for example, the patronyms of a grandson, father, and grandfather may beJohn Donaldson,son ofDonald Robertson,son ofRobert Williamson).

The earliest patronyms recorded in Scotland are written in several different languages. In earlyLatindocuments, such names were formed by thegenitivecase of the father's name preceded by forms offilius,meaning "son" (for exampleDugaldus filius Nigelli); later thefiliuswas only implied (for exampleDugaldus Nigelli).^[3]^{[note 1]}Other early records show patronyms using forms of the Welshap,meaning "son"; and the Gaelicmac,meaning son (for example, the names ofMacrath ap Molegan,andGilmychel Mac Ethappear in the same document).^[4]^{[note 2]}

There are severalprefixesandsuffixesthat may indicate whether a modern surname originated from a patronym: the English suffixes-son,and-s;and the Gaelic prefixMac-.In some cases, the-sonwas dropped from such surnames, and just the forename of an ancestor was used (for exampleMartin). In some cases, the suffix-swas used, and according to Black, such names appear to have originated in England (for exampleAdams).^[3]

The use of patronyms died out in the Lowlands after the 15th century, as they became solidified as surnames.^[6]It was not until the 18th century that they were given up in the Gaelic-speaking Highlands. As late as the first part of the 18th century, some men were distinguished not only by their father's name, but their grandfather's and great-grandfather's (for example,John Roy M'Ean Vc Ewin Vc Dougall Vc Ean,a man fromLismorerecorded in 1585).^[7]^{[note 3]}Patronyms were still common in Shetland in the first half of the 19th century. One of the most common surnames inScotlandisSimpson,which means the son of "Simon", in Gaelic the equivalent names are McSymon, and MacSymon.

Territorial names, topographical names[edit]

Many of the first surnames recorded in Scotland were those of nobles, or great landowners, whose surnames derived from the lands they possessed.^[8]These names are sometimes called territorial names,^[8]or habitation names.^[9]Many of these surnames were brought to Scotland by Anglo-Normans, whose surnames were derived from either lands in Normandy or in England (for example,Bruceis derived fromBrixinManche,France,^[10]Crawfordis derived fromCrawford, South Lanarkshire,in the south of Scotland,Bartonis derived fromDumbarton,or the several villages and towns inEngland,andGrahamis derived fromGrantham,inLincolnshire,England).^[11]Not all territorial surnames are derived from lands owned by their bearers.^[8]In some cases such names were borne by tenants, or followers, of the owners of the lands they lived on. In this way the bearers of these surnames may not have had any kinship with the landowners (the surnameGordonis an historical example of such a name).^[8]

Some Scottish surnames are derived from vague geographical locations rather than specific places.^[12]These names are sometimes called "topographic names".^[9]These names refer to physical features, like forests, streams, and marshes; such names may also refer to man-made structures, such as castles and churches^[9](for example the surnamesWood,Milne,andShaw).^[12]Sometimes names derived from proper names of geographical features can be classified as topographic names rather than habitational names. This is because these names refer to a location rather than a specific settlement.^[9]

Occupational names[edit]

Many surnames are derived from the occupations, ortrades,of their original bearers (for example,Stewart,Shepherd,Mason,Kemp,Webb,andFletcher).^[13]In time, true occupational surnames became hereditary and were passed down through families (for example, in 1525 there is a record of a woman namedAgnes Beltmakar,who is described as akaikbakstar).^[12]^{[note 4]}Occupational names were rare amongst Gaelic speakers^[14]Examples of such surnames derived from Gaelic occupational name isGow,from the Scottish GaelicGobha(smith),^[15]andMacIntyrefromMac an t-Saoir([ˈmaxkən̪ˠˈt̪ʰɯːɾʲ]"son of the carpenter."^[15]Macphersonmeans "son of theparson",^[16]from the Gaelic surnameMac a' Phearsain.^[15]

Bynames[edit]

Bynames, to-names, or other names,^{[note 5]}were once very common in Scotland.^[17]These names were used in areas where there were few names in circulation, and the bynames were added onto the name of person, in order to distinguish them from others who bore the same name. Bynames were particularly prevalent in fishing communities in the northeastern part of Scotland,^[17]but were also used in the Borders and the West Highlands.^[6]In some cases within fishing communities, the names of fishing boats were tacked onto the names of people in order to differentiate them from others.^[13]

Examples of Scottish surnames derived from nicknames are:Little;White;andMeikle(which means "big" ). One of the most common Scottish surnames isCampbell,which is derived from the GaelicCaimbeul,meaning "crooked-mouth".^[13]Another common Scottish surname isArmstrong,which means the son of a strong man.

Regional names, or ethnic names[edit]

Some Scottish surnames can be classified as either "regional names" or "ethnic names".^[9]These names originally referred to the origin of the bearer and tended to have been acquired by people who migrated a considerable distance for their original homes. In other cases, such names were sometimes borne by people who were connected with a foreign place (such as a trader).^[9]Examples of ethnic surnames areFleming,Galbraith,andScott.

Scottish clans[edit]

Many Scottish surnames are the names ofScottish clansthat were once powerful families dominating large swaths of territory.^[18]However, it is a common misconception that every person who bears a clan's name is a lineal descendant of the chiefs of that particular clan.^[6]^{[note 6]}There are several reasons for this. In many cases, the families that originally lived on the lands acquired by powerful clans (such as theCampbells,Gordons,Macdonalds,andMackenzies) adopted the names of their new lords.^[18]^{[note 7]}The leadership of large clans increased their power by increasing the number of their followers by bothconciliationandcoercion.^[2]The memory of such renaming is sometimes preserved in tradition. One old Gaelic saying reads:Frisealach am boll a mine( "the Frasers of the boll of meal" ), which explains that some of nameFraserare actuallyBissets,who originally controlled the lands taken by theFrasers.^{[note 8]}

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the clan name of theMacGregorswas outlawed, and members of the clan were forced to assume other names. When the bans were lifted once and for all, some of the clan resumed using forms ofMacGregor—but not all.^[18]^{[note 9]}In some cases, the name of a clan may be identical to the surname of another family, yet there is no etymological link between the employed surname, and there is no historical connection between the different families (for example, the Hebridean/Kintyre surnameBrodieis not connected to the surname of theBrodies of Brodie,who were centred inMoray).^[23]^{[note 10]}Similarly, a surname derived from a patronym, may be used by numerous unconnected families descended from a like-named individual (for example, the bardic family of the surnameMacEwanemployed by the Campbells are not connected to theMacEwens of Otter).^[26]^{[note 11]}HistorianCharles Ian Fraserstated in his history of theClan Munrothat the bond between clansman and chief cannot in every instance have been that of a common blood.^[27]

Scottish heraldry[edit]

Scottish heraldryoperates under the implication that everyone who shares the same surname might be related.^[28]The position of the standing court ofheraldryin Scotland, theCourt of the Lord Lyon,considers that everyone who shares the same surname as a recognised chief, is a member of that chief's clan.^[29]In consequence, where acoat of armsalready exists for the chief of a clan, or head of a family, when new grants of arms to individuals with the same surname are being discussed with the client, then the suggestions put forward are generally variations of those arms^[28](for example, one of the oldest families ofArgyllare the Fergussons of Glensellich; this clan is not related or historically connected in any way to theFergussons of Kilkerranwho the Lord Lyon King of Arms considers to be theChief of the Name and Armsof Fergusson;consequently, the arms of Fergusson of Glensellich are based upon the arms of Fergusson of Kilkerran).^[30]^[31]

Influences[edit]

Gaelic[edit]

Not all surnames that begin with the prefixMac-are truly derived from patronyms. Forms of the surnamesMacBethandMacRaeare derived from the Gaelic personal namesMac-bethadandMac-raith.The prefix in such cases means "pupil", "devotee", "disciple".^[32](Other examples can be found under the section Occupational Surnames). Also, not all names beginning with the prefix are derived from Gaelic personal names; in areas along the Lowland border, the prefix was added to the diminutives of non-Gaelic personal names ending with the suffix-ie(for example,McRitchie,MacWillie). Other Lowland, or English, diminutives of personal names ending with the suffixes-on,and-in,were borrowed by Gaelic speakers (for exampleRankintoMacrankin,GibbontoMacgibbon).^[33]

Norse[edit]

In the northern Hebrides, many of the indigenous surnames are derived fromGaelicisedNorse personal names (for example, MacAmhlaigh →Macaulay,MacAsgaill →Macaskill,and MacLeòid →Macleod).^[15]Such 'Norse' names in these areas are in complete contrast to the indigenous surnames of the adjacent islands and lands to the south.^[34]Some surnames brought to Scotland in the Middle Ages by English, or Anglo-Normans, are also derived from Norse personal names.

Anglo-Normans[edit]

Nearly all the surnames brought to Britain by the Normans were territorial names derived from lands on the continent. In some families where patronyms were used, once a man acquired lands in Britain he would assume his surname from these lands. Norman patronyms were made up of mainly three types of names:Germanicnames derived fromFrankishnames; other Germanic names derived from Norse names; and Latin and Greek names, many of which were religious names. Many diminutive suffixes were introduced with the Normans (for example,-el,-et,-ett,-ot,-at,-en,-in,-oc,-on,-uc,and-cock). These suffixes were added to pet-forms of names (for example,Adkindiminutive ofAdam,andPatonfromPatrick).^[35]

The nameFraser(GaelicFriseal) has a unique etymology; it originally derives from the Frenchfraise,meaningstrawberry.^[36]

Most common surnames[edit]

The top twentymost common surnamesin Scotland are shown below. The data were mostly gathered from the 2001 UKelectoral register.This register was made up of all people over the age of 16 who were entitled to vote inelections in the UK.The data was further enhanced with names of people that were not entitled to vote. In 2001, a change in law made it possible for people toopt outof having their information publicly viewable; thus the 2001 register has been considered by at least one recent study to be the most recent reliable source for determining the most common surnames in Scotland.^[37]

Smith(1.28%) (occupational name)
Brown(0.94%) (nickname)
Wilson(0.89%) (patronym)
Robertson(0.78%) (patronym)
Thomson(0.78%) (patronym)
Campbell(0.77%) (nickname)
Stewart(0.73%) (occupational name)
Anderson(0.70%) (patronym)
Scott(0.55%) (ethnic name)
Murray(0.53%) (territorial name)
MacDonald(0.52%) (patronym)
Reid(0.52%) (nickname)
Taylor(0.49%) (occupational name)
Clark(0.47%) (occupational name)
Ross(0.43%) (territorial name)
Young(0.42%) (nickname)
Mitchell(0.41%) (patronym; nickname)
Watson(0.41%) (patronym)
Paterson(0.40%) (patronym)
Morrison(0.40%) (patronym)

Extinction[edit]

While the total bearers of specific surnames have grown in number over the years, such as the names of the most dominant clans, some Scottish surnames havecompletely died outin the country (for example, the family with the Hebridean surnameMacUspaig,derived from a Gaelicised Norse personal name, died out in the male line shortly after the turn of the 20th century).^[38]

Surname changes[edit]

Anyone whosebirth is registeredin Scotland, or who was legally adopted in Scotland, may apply to register a surnamechange.^[39]Children under the age of 16 are only allowed to change their surname once. For people over the age of 16, a total of three surname changes are allowed, however a period of five years must elapse between each successive name change. In some cases, surname changes are allowed if the person receives a decree, or certificate of change, from theLord Lyon King of Arms;or if certain certifiedwills,settlements, or deeds of trust, contain conditions where a person must take a surname different from the one which they were registered at birth; or when a male has married and changed his surname following his marriage, and has received a decree or certificate from the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Surname changes can consist of substituting one surname for another (for example, fromBrowntoJohnson); changing the spelling of the surname (for example, fromBrowntoBroun); or changing surname byhyphenation(for example, fromBrowntoBrown-Johnson) (see also:double-barrelled name).^[40]