Scottish Name Generator
Scottish given names and Mac surnames assembled from real Gaelic, Norse and Scots elements, each shown with its attested meaning.
1,631,250 combinations in this form
- Glenchad Mac Garvlia
Glen valley + chad war
valley war
Mac Garv son of rough + lia grey
son of rough, the grey
- Gealoir Mac Contren
Geal shining + oir gold
shining gold
Mac Con son of hound + tren stout
son of hound, the stout
- Kinrig Mac Donreoch
Kin head + rig furrow
head furrow
Mac Don son of brown + reoch brindled
son of brown, the brindled
- Fearbeg Nic Royall
Fear man + beg small
man small
Nic Roy daughter of red + all mighty
daughter of red, the mighty
- Urmaiseach Mac Roylia
Ur fresh + maiseach comely
fresh comely
Mac Roy son of red + lia grey
son of red, the grey
- Braidord Mac Aonbrack
Braid broad + ord hammer
broad hammer
Mac Aon son of one + brack freckled
son of one, the freckled
- Cromlay Mac Niagall
Crom bent + lay hero
bent hero
Mac Nia son of champion + gall stranger
son of champion, the stranger
- Bansona Mac Trengall
Ban fair + sona happy
fair happy
Mac Tren son of strong + gall stranger
son of strong, the stranger
- Clachhill Nic Dontren
Clach stone + hill rise
stone rise
Nic Don daughter of brown + tren stout
daughter of brown, the stout
- Somerlay Mac Torgeal
Somer summer + lay hero
summer hero
Mac Tor son of hill + geal bright
son of hill, the bright
- Solasderg Mac Gowbeg
Solas light + derg crimson
light crimson
Mac Gow son of smith + beg small
son of smith, the small
- Mullaird Mac Calgus
Mull headland + aird upland
headland upland
Mac Cal son of dove + gus vigour
son of dove, the vigour
- Craigmuir Mac Congeal
Craig rock + muir moor
rock moor
Mac Con son of hound + geal bright
son of hound, the bright
- Camoir Mac Bantren
Cam crooked + oir gold
crooked gold
Mac Ban son of fair + tren stout
son of fair, the stout
- Easrig Mac Ciargall
Eas waterfall + rig furrow
waterfall furrow
Mac Ciar son of dusky + gall stranger
son of dusky, the stranger
- Callaw Mac Muirreoch
Cal dove + law round summit
dove round summit
Mac Muir son of sea + reoch brindled
son of sea, the brindled
- Uisgetren Mac Torgus
Uisge water + tren strong
water strong
Mac Tor son of hill + gus vigour
son of hill, the vigour
- Tullyfell Mac Royall
Tully hillock + fell mountain
hillock mountain
Mac Roy son of red + all mighty
son of red, the mighty
- Rossquil Nic Gilbeg
Ross headland + quil cauldron
headland cauldron
Nic Gil daughter of servant + beg small
daughter of servant, the small
- Oighreoch Nic Roygus
Oigh maiden + reoch brindled
maiden brindled
Nic Roy daughter of red + gus vigour
daughter of red, the vigour
- Drumog Mac Gowan
Drum ridge + og young
ridge young
Mac Gow son of smith + an little
son of smith, the little
- Gormgill Mac Thorie
Gorm blue + gill ravine
blue ravine
Mac Thor son of Thor + ie little
son of Thor, the little
- Iolairur Mac Eachvald
Iolair eagle + ur new
eagle new
Mac Each son of horse + vald ruler
son of horse, the ruler
- Mullmore Mac Duffbeg
Mull headland + more big
headland big
Mac Duff son of black + beg small
son of black, the small
How Scottish names are built
¶Scottish Gaelic given names are built from two words that still mean something. Donn brown plus cath battle gives Donnchadh, anglicised Duncan; fionn fair plus laoch hero gives Fionnlagh, now Findlay; aon one plus gus vigour gives Aonghas, or Angus. The Norse who settled the Hebrides left their own stock in the same system, so Torcuil is Thor's cauldron, Somhairle is the summer traveller and Raghnall is the ruler who counsels.
Mac is simply the Gaelic word for son, and a surname is the father's name in the genitive behind it: Mac Dhomhnaill, son of Domhnall, is MacDonald. A daughter takes Nic, the contracted form of the phrase meaning daughter of son of, so MacLeod's daughter is NicLeoid. Clan names grew out of these patronymics and then hardened into badges of allegiance, which is why septs with unrelated surnames still answer to one chief.
Two languages share the map. In the Highlands and Islands the elements are Gaelic and Norse: dun a fort, cill a monastic cell, inbhir a confluence, and the Norse vik a bay, bolstadr a farmstead, nes a headland. In the Lowlands they are Scots, a Germanic tongue: burn for a stream, law for a rounded hill, haugh for river meadow, shaw for a copse, toun for a steading. A layer of Pictish survives too, in Pit and Aber.
Questions
Is Mac Scottish or Irish?
Both, because both countries speak forms of Gaelic and mac is the ordinary word for son. It runs through Irish surnames such as MacCarthy and Scottish ones such as MacGregor. Nothing about the spelling marks nationality, so a Mac surname alone cannot tell you which side of the water a family came from.
What is the difference between Mac and Mc?
Nothing but abbreviation. Mc, and the older M', are contractions clerks used to save space, and the same family often appears all three ways in successive records. Neither form is Irish rather than Scottish, and neither is more authentic. Capitalisation of the following letter is equally a matter of printing habit.
What are common Scottish surnames?
Smith, Brown, Wilson, Robertson, Campbell, Stewart, Thomson, Anderson, Macdonald and Scott top the registers. Campbell is cam beul, crooked mouth; Cameron is cam sron, crooked nose; Stewart is an office, the steward of the royal household; Macdonald is son of Domhnall, whose own name means world-mighty.
What is a clan name?
Clann is Gaelic for children, so a clan is the family of a chief, real or claimed. The chief's patronymic became the clan name, and tenants, allies and incomers often took it as well. That is why sept lists attach quite different surnames to one clan, and why bearing a clan name proves loyalty rather than descent.
Are Scottish and Irish names the same?
They overlap heavily and then diverge. Both use the same Gaelic word stock and the mac patronymic, so Donnchadh and Fionnlagh belong to both. Ireland uses the O prefix, which Scotland almost never does; Scotland has a Norse layer from the Hebrides and a Scots layer in the Lowlands that Ireland lacks.