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.
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!
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
an added 'bonus' we've added the 'Top 20 Girl Names in
Scotland' for the years 2016, 2017/18 and 2019 below the list.
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'. |
If you want to see which girl names are popular in Scotland today, here's a (provisional) list of the Top 20 Scottish Girl Names for 2016 (according to the National Records of Scotland website).
There aren't too many of the traditional Scottish girl names listed above, but you'll see some modern variants.
1. Olivia
2. Emily
3. Sophie
4. Isla
5. Ava
6. Amelia
7. Jessica
8. Ella
9. Lucy
10. Charlotte
11. Aria
12. Ellie
13. Lily
14. Freya
15. Grace
16. Sophia
17. Chloe
18. Evie
19. Emma
20. Millie
To see learn more about the trends and statistics of baby names in Scotland, check out this page Babies First Names 2016
The Top 20 Scottish Girls Names for 2017 recorded by the National Records of Scotland website has mostly the same names as in 2016, with two new ones creeping in.
The order has changed, some names have moved up and some down. Here's how the table looks for 2017...
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.
One of my daughters is expecting a baby and Isla is her first pick for a girl, so it's interesting to know that it's popular right now!
Although they don't feature in the top 20 Scottish baby girl names listed below, two names that made huge leaps this year are Maeve and Ayda.
These names and stats are from the birth registration records in Scotland for 2020. Want to know more? See the full PDF report from the National Records of Scotland HERE.
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)
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....
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