Scottish Girl Names

Scottish girl names are a diverse group.... but they're all rich with the history and culture of this small but colorful country.

We've put together a hand-picked selection of Scottish baby girl names.

Some are traditional (ancient Celtic or Gaelic, or Olde English) , others have the flavor of European countries who have touched Scottish history.

You'll also find the meaning of each name so that you can pick the perfect 'fit' for your little one. 

Beautiful baby girl wearing flowered head band

Naming Traditions For Girls In Scotland

You'll see that some of the Scottish girl names on this list have the suffix 'ina'. This is a uniquely Scottish trait!

Cute toddler girl in polka dot hat with big smile for the camera

It was traditional to add these three letters to the end of a boys name to turn it into the feminine version.

And sometimes the name would then just be shortened to 'Ina', resulting in a lot of 'Inas' all with different forenames. A little confusing at times.

In Scotland, 'first' names are know as 'forenames', and 'last' names as 'surnames'.

If you'd like to learn more about the naming culture in Scotland CLICK HERE (link will open in a new window).

As a bonus we've added the 'Top 20 Girl Names in Scotland' for the years  2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022 below the list of names. Looking at those will let you see the names that are consistently popular and an idea of the most recent baby name trends in Scotland.


Name

Origin & Meaning

Adamina Hebrew
Feminine form of Adam, meaning 'formed of the red earth'
Agnes Greek
Meaning 'chaste' or 'holy'. First recorded during 14th century. Sometimes became 'Nancy'
Ailsa Old German
Meaning 'noble maiden'.
Aileen Gaelic
From the Gaelic 'Eilidh' meaning 'rays of sunshine'. Sometimes became Eilean or Ilene.
Ailith Olde English
Meaning 'seasoned warrior'
Ainslie Olde English
Meaning 'hermitage meadow'. Also Scottish surname
Alana Gaelic
Meaning 'beautiful'
Alison Old German
Meaning 'noble sort' or 'nobility'. First recorded during 12th century
Ann Hebrew
Meaning 'graceful'.
Annag Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Anna. Meaning 'graceful' or 'grace'.
Annis Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Agnes. Meaning 'chaste' or 'holy'.
Arabel Roman
Meaning 'prayerful'.
Barbara Greek
Meaning 'strange' or 'foreign'.
Blair Gaelic
Meaning 'field', 'plain' or 'battlefield'. A unisex name first recorded during 12th century.
Bridget Gaelic
From Irish Celtic. After a Celtic Goddess. Meaning 'power' or 'strength'.
Cairstine Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Christina. Meaning 'believer or follower of Christ'.
Catriona Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Catherine, meaning 'pure'. Dates back to the time of the Crusaders.
Davina Hebrew
Feminine form of David, meaning 'beloved'.
Donalda Gaelic
Feminine form of Donald, meaning 'world ruler'
Deoiridh Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic, meaning 'pilgrim'.
Elspeth Scottish
Scottish variant of the Hebrew Elizabeth, meaning 'God is my oath'.
Emilia Roman
Meaning 'winning'. Often seen as Emily.
Fenella Gaelic
Meaning 'white shoulders' or 'fair shoulders'.
Fiona Gaelic
From Irish Gaelic meaning 'fair one' or 'white'.
Flora Italian
Meaning 'flower'. Was a popular name in the Scottish Highlands.
Heather Anglo Saxon
Meaning 'as the heather'. Popular due to native Scottish plant with the same name.
Hilda Old German
Meaning 'battle maid' or 'woman of battle'.
Gavina Celtic
Feminine form of Gavin, meaning 'white hawk' or 'hawk woman'.
Greer Scottish
Unisex name derived from the Scottish surname, meaning 'watchful' or 'vigilant'.
Innis Gaelic
Unisex name, from the Gaelic 'inis' meaning 'island'.
Isla Olde English
From Scottish word 'Islay' meaning island.
Isobel European
From Spanish Isobella, meaning 'God is my oath' or 'Gods' consecrated'. Came to Scotland from Europe in 13th century.
Jamesina European
Scottish feminine form of James (Spanish), meaning 'supplanter'.
Jean French
Scottish form of Jeanne, meaning 'God is gracious'. Popular for centuries.
Kirstine Scottish
Scottish form of Christine, meaning 'believer or follower of Christ'. Often shortened to Kirsty. (Also see Cairistine).
Lachina Norwegian
Feminine form of Lachlan, meaning 'lake land' or 'land of lochs'.
Lyall Old Norse
Unisex name, from Scottish surname. Meaning 'shield wolf'.
Margaret Greek
Meaning 'precious' or 'pearl'. Became popular during 11th century.
Mairi Hebrew
Scottish version of Mary, meaning 'bitter'.
Morag Gaelic
Scottish version of Sarah, meaning 'princess'
Murdina Celtic
Feminine form of Murdoch, meaning 'warrior of the sea'.
Rhona Old Norman
Meaning 'wise ruler'. Dates back to 7th century.
Sorcha Gaelic
Meaning 'radiant'.
Thomasina Hebrew
Feminine version of Thomas, meaning 'twin'.
Una Gaelic
Irish Gaelic originally. Meaning 'famine or hunger'.

Here are the Top 20 Scottish Girls Names for 2017 recorded by the National Records of Scotland website

1. Olivia

2. Emily

3. Isla

4. Sophie

5. Jessica

6. Amelia

7. Ava

8. Ella

9. Charlotte

10. Aria

11. Lily (tied with Lucy)

11. Lucy (tied with Lily)

13. Freya

14. Grace

15. Ellie

16. Evie

17. Sophia

18. Harper (new addition)

19. Hannah (new addition)

20. Millie


According to the National Records of Scotland not a whole lot changed for 2018, but there are a couple of new additions (while Millie and Hannah drop out of the top 20.

So, the list of the most popular girls names in Scotland for 2018 is:

1. Olivia

2. Emily

3. Isla

4. Sophie

5. Amelia

6. Ella

7. Ava

8. Grace

9. Aria

10. Jessica

11. Charlotte

12. Sophie

13. Lily

14. Lucy

15. Freya

16. Evie

17. Harper

18. Ellie

19. Eilidh (new addition. Pronounced Ay-lee)

20. Mia (new addition)

Taking a look at the most popular Scottish girl names for 2020 you can see below that Olivia has been toppled from the #1 spot, and replaced with Isla. This is the first time Isla has been in the number one spot.

1. Isla

2. Olivia

3. Emily

4. Freya

5. Ava

6. Sophie

7. Ella

8. Grace 

9. Amelia

10. Lily

11. Sophia

12. Charlotte

13. Evie

14. Millie

15. Maisie (new addition)

16. Rosie

17. Mia

18. Jessica

19. Aria & Ellie (tied)


If you want to see which girl names are popular in Scotland right now, here's a list of the Top 20 Scottish Girl Names in 2022  (according to the National Records of Scotland website) Notice Olivia is back in it's traditional number one position!

1. Olivia

2. Isla

3. Freya

4. Millie

5. Emily

6. Amelia

7. Grace

8. Sophie

9. Ella

10. Ava

11. Lily

12. Charlotte

13. Sophia

14. Aria

15. Harper

16. Sophia

17. Chloe

18. Ivy

19. Evie

20. Lucy


Try this interesting Scottish baby names app to see name trends in Scotland since 1974.

Just type in any name for a quick look at how the popularity of that name has changed over the years. It's super easy and fun to do.


More help with choosing Scottish girl names!

Of course there are many (MANY) more Scottish baby names for you to consider.

Here are some books that can help you pick that perfect fit for your little princess....