Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Scottish baby names

50 replies

ScottishBeth · 01/04/2022 16:43

I really want to pick a Scottish name! I live in England so want something that will be relatively easily spelled and pronounced for English people (I have a Scottish surname and some people really struggle with it!).

For a boy I pretty much have my heart set on Alistair. Though will be happy for other suggestions.

The girls names I've been thinking of are:
Ailsa
Afton
Catriona (pronounced Catreena; since living in England I have known someone who pronounced her name Cat-ri-Oh-na and I couldn't bear it, thankfully not someone I saw much of).

I like Fiona but I don't even think a lot of people would read it as Scottish now, as it's so common.

Does anyone have any other thoughts?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
MrsMoastyToasty · 01/04/2022 16:50

Ross
Murray
Stirling (there's also an F1 theme)
Cameron

Morag
Bonnie

weebarra · 01/04/2022 16:52

Aila
Vaila
Marsaili
Mairi

Hadtocomment · 01/04/2022 16:55

I had a friend called Iona. I always thought it a lovely name and nicer than Isla that is so popular at the moment. Catriona is really nice too.

worriedaboutmoney2022 · 01/04/2022 16:56

I went to school for a while in Scotland my dad was RAF and I'm in touch with a Kirsten, and then Heather and her older brother is Hamish!

kim1234567 · 01/04/2022 16:57

For a boy:
Callum
Fraser
Finlay

For a girl:
Freya
Isla

Wedonttalkaboutboris · 01/04/2022 16:57

We have an Ailsa and we get so many compliments! Some people need the pronounciation explaining the first time but had no bother after that.

FelicityPike · 01/04/2022 17:00

Catrina is pronounced your way.
Catriona is pronounced the way you don’t like.

Brodie.
Angus.
Cooper.
Lachlan (Not Locklan).
Bruce.
Brock.
Arran.

Eilidh.
Lorna.
Isla.
Iona.
Jura.

Hope42022 · 01/04/2022 17:05

I’m looking at Scottish names too and my favourites for a boy are Lachlan, Duncan, Calum, Harris, and Blake. I’ve not got Scottish girls names yet!

darlingdodo · 01/04/2022 17:05

I think a lot of people will not pronounce Catriona as Catrina.

Afton is nice, and no pronunciation issues.

Boys - Alistair is a fine name.
Angus
Adair
Athol
Ross
Struan

Girls
Elspeth
Flora
Greer

Indiana2021 · 01/04/2022 17:06

Torin
Hamish
Angus
Lewis
Harris

Isla
Iona
Fia
Flora

All fairly phonetically easy for non Scots folk. Steer clear of Eilidh or Rhuaridh Wink

Pinotpleasure · 01/04/2022 17:11

For a girl:

Shona

Iona (I used to work with an Iona, although there was no Scottish connection - her parents were immigrants from the Caribbean and they just loved the name Iona)

For a boy:

Finley/Findlay/Finlay

Callum

Douglas

MajorCarolDanvers · 01/04/2022 17:15

Alastair is great

Alexander
James
Murray
Robert
Struan
Callum
Andrew
Cameron
Fraser
Keir
Euan
Iain
Murdo

Eilidh (but challenging in a England)
Catriona
Fiona
Gail
Heather
Iona
Isla
Mirren
Murron
Mhairi
Kirsty
Kirsteen
Kirsten
Marsali

LizzieAnt · 01/04/2022 17:23

I'm Irish, not Scottish, and pronounce Caitríona with 4 syllables, but there's little emphasis on the third. So it's Ca-tree-uh-na, but the uh is barely voiced.
I do know a Tríona (a short form of the name) who says her name as Tree-OH-na - ie all the emphasis is on the OH part - and I don't think that's the traditional pronunciation.

I wonder if that's what the OP means here?

www.forvo.comword/caitriona/

www.forvo.comword/caitríona/

scottishnames · 01/04/2022 17:45

Lots of lovely suggestions but:

Perhaps not Jura - the name either means 'deer island' (which is fine) or 'udder island' because of the famous twin mountains, the Paps (= breasts).

I know three people called Catriona ( NW Scotland) and they all say 'Ka-Treena'. But I think it varies from region to region. But if the first 'i' is pronounced, it's almost like an 'uh' sound, so Ca-TREE-uhn-na, not Catr-ree-OWN-na.

Blake is not a Scottish name - it's Old English www.behindthename.com/name/blake
Nor is Cooper - that's also English www.behindthename.com/name/cooper

I think Fiona is still seen as Scottish, and it's very unusual in England and Wales; it's well outside the top thousand names. There were only 25 babies called Fiona in the whole of England and Wales in 2020 names.darkgreener.com/#fiona

I also like Fenella, which is an Anglicised version of a very old Gaelic name. And I really like Ferelith (pronouced rather like 'Verily', with a 'th' at the end.)

Other possibilities: Ishbel, Kirsty, Christina/Chrissie (not Scottish but very popular among older generation Gaelic speakers), Sine (Sheena) =Jean, Shona, Mairead, Ailis (Ay-lish).
Marion is French but was/is still popular in some areas; ditto Alison. Janet is rather similar. Annis is Scots for Agnes and I think very pretty. As I'm sure you know, Rowan is a girls' name in Scotland. Grizel (a form of Griselda) was once popular, but perhaps not now. Vaila is of Norse origin, but if you like Scottish place names, is nice. I've also heard of babies named Sanna after the famous white-sands bay.

For boys: Innes, Allan (still in use up here), Seumas, Murdo, Tormod, Andrew, Hugh, Angus, Coll (or Colin), Niall (Nee-yull), Magnus, Fergus, Ruairidh (only if you use Gaelic spelling, IMHO ), Ranald, Dougal...

scottishnames · 01/04/2022 18:13

Cross-posted re Catriona with LizzieAnt . Sorry to have duplicated.

Guineapiggiesmalls · 01/04/2022 18:15

Came to suggest Shona (I’d spell it Shiona, but appreciate it’s easier to pronounce if you drop the ‘I’) but see it’s already here!

Luluuuuuuuuuu85 · 01/04/2022 18:18

I have a family member called Catriona (Scottish) and it's pronounced Ca- trea- na. Though I have also met a Scottish Catriona who pronounces it cat-tree-oh-na

Maggiesgirl · 01/04/2022 18:24

Please don't spell Shona with the I (Shiona) she will get Shyona all her life believe me.

What about

Keeva
Eriskay
Marsali
Kirsty
Janet
Margaret (Maggie)

Taran
Dougal
Gregor
Duncan
Douglas

Hadtocomment · 01/04/2022 18:29

I was thinking of Sanna too.

Innes is nice. Rowan is nicer as a girls' name I think.

How do you pronounce Vaila? i've not heard of that.

I think Leana and Lorna are both lovely names. I know some people go on about Lorna being dated - but I think it's a really attractive name. I like Lorne for a boy too.

What about Elspeth? Quite different and yet can be shortened to Elsie too which is quite in right now?

EdgeOfSeventeenAndThreeQuarter · 01/04/2022 18:43

Not Lachlan - given non-Scots can’t pronounce Loch properly the poor kid will have it bastardised his entire life.

Bitter voice of experience having a ch in my name and growing up in England.

scottishnames · 01/04/2022 18:52

Hadtocomment I'd say 'Vay-la', but it's not my part of Scotland and so others might want to correct me.

And, other posters, please - whatever appears on the internet (and in some peoples' names) it's Mairi, not Mhairi. Mairi (Maar-ie) is the nominative, the form of the name as a proper name/noun. Mhairi (Varry) is the vocative - the form of a name used only when speaking to somone. In English the names do not change, so it's 'My name is Mary' and 'Hi Mary'; both are the same. But in Gaelic - and may other languages - they do.
Mairi is a nice name, but please don't give your child a version of it that is - I am sorry - illiterate.

Weclome · 01/04/2022 18:56

Marsali
Morven
Mirren
Ceitidh

Any of the Catrina's I know all pronounce it Catreena

emmathedilemma · 01/04/2022 19:04

I love Alistair!
Fergus
Duncan
Hamish
Angus
Harris
Lewis

Aisla is lovely
I’m never encountered an Afton. It’s not very feminine, I don’t think I like it.
Flora
Freya
Isla
Kirsten
Eilidh
Aileen
Iona
Rhona
Mairi
Morag
Alba

ICouldHaveCheckedFirst · 01/04/2022 19:20

I know of an Afton Rose. Named after the local river. I thought it was very pretty.

Lorna, Flora, Mairi, Fiona, Iona are timeless. Alison must be due a comeback.

roseinthegarden · 01/04/2022 19:30

I love Catriona
Also like Morven
Kirsty
Morag

Struan
Lewis
Logan
Campbell

Swipe left for the next trending thread