Scots-Irish Surnames

These Scots Irish surnames belong to the Presbyterian families who moved from Lowland Scotland to Ulster and then to the American frontier. Each name in the list above is shown with its meaning and origin.

186 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Adair

From Edgar, rich spear; Galloway family

Scottish
Agnew

Norman-Scottish, from Agneaux in Normandy

Scottish
Allison

Son of Allan or of Alice

Scottish
Armstrong

Strong in the arm; Scottish Border reiver family

Scottish

B

Baird

Bard or poet

Scottish
Barr

Dweller on a hilltop, Gaelic barr

Scottish
Beattie

From Bartholomew; Border reiver family

Scottish
Bell

Dweller by a bell, or handsome; Border family

Scottish
Blair

Dweller on a plain or field, Gaelic blàr

Scottish
Boyd

From the Isle of Bute, or fair-haired

Scottish
Brownlee

From a brown clearing in Lanarkshire

Scottish
Buchanan

From Buchanan in Stirlingshire, canon's house

Scottish
Burns

Dweller by a stream, from Scots burn

Scottish

C

Caldwell

From a cold spring or stream

Scottish
Calhoun

American spelling of Colquhoun, narrow corner

Scottish
Cameron

Crooked nose, from Gaelic cam shròn

Scottish
Campbell

Crooked mouth, from Gaelic cam beul

Scottish
Carruthers

From Carruthers in Dumfriesshire, Rhydderch's fort

Scottish
Cathcart

From Cathcart in Renfrewshire, fort on the Cart

Scottish
Cochran

From Coughran in Renfrewshire

Scottish
Colville

Norman-Scottish, from Colleville in Normandy

Scottish
Cowan

Possibly from Mac Eoghainn or a stonemason

Scottish
Craig

Dweller by a crag or rock, Gaelic creag

Scottish
Crawford

From a ford frequented by crows

Scottish
Crockett

Possibly from Middle English crocket, a curl of hair

Scottish
Cummings

Norman-Scottish Comyn, from Comines in Flanders

Scottish
Cunningham

From Cunninghame district in Ayrshire

Scottish

D

Dalzell

From Dalziel in Lanarkshire, white field

Scottish
Dickson

Son of Dick, a pet form of Richard

Scottish
Dinsmore

From Dunsmore, possibly great fort

Scottish
Doherty

From Ó Dochartaigh, possibly hurtful

Irish
Douglas

Dark water, from Gaelic dubh glas

Scottish
Dunbar

From Dunbar in East Lothian, summit fort

Scottish
Dunlap

From Dunlop in Ayrshire, fort by the bend

Scottish

E

Elliott

Scottish Border family, possibly from Old English Elwald

Scottish
Erskine

From Erskine in Renfrewshire, possibly green rise

Scottish
Ewing

From Gaelic Eòghann, possibly yew-born

Scottish

F

Ferguson

Son of Fergus, man of strength

Scottish
Findlay

From Fionnlagh, fair warrior

Scottish
Fleming

Man from Flanders, settled in Scotland

Scottish
Forsyth

Possibly from Gaelic Fearsithe, man of peace

Scottish
Frazier

American spelling of Fraser, of uncertain origin

Scottish

G

Galbraith

Foreign Briton, from Gaelic gall Breatnach

Scottish
Gallagher

From Ó Gallchobhair, foreign helper

Irish
Galloway

From Galloway, land of the foreign Gaels

Scottish
Gault

Stranger or foreigner, Gaelic gall

Scottish
Gilchrist

Servant of Christ, Gaelic Gille Chriosd

Scottish
Gillespie

Servant of the bishop, Gaelic Gille Easbaig

Scottish
Gilmore

Servant of Mary, Gaelic Gille Moire

Scottish
Glasgow

From Glasgow, green hollow

Scottish
Glenn

Dweller in a valley, Gaelic gleann

Scottish
Gordon

From Gordon in Berwickshire, spacious fort

Scottish
Graham

From Grantham, gravelly homestead; Border reiver clan

Scottish
Gray

Grey-haired, or from Graye in Normandy

Scottish
Greer

From Grier, a pet form of Gregory, watchful

Scottish
Guthrie

From Guthrie in Angus, windy place

Scottish

H

Hamilton

From Hamildune, crooked or bare hill

Scottish
Hanna

Galloway surname, from Ó hAnnaidh or Hannay

Scottish
Harkness

Possibly from a headland name in Dumfriesshire

Scottish
Hay

From La Haye in Normandy, hedge

Scottish
Henderson

Son of Hendry, a form of Henry

Scottish
Hogg

Nickname from hog, a young sheep

Scottish
Houston

From Hugh's settlement in Renfrewshire

Scottish
Hume

From Home in Berwickshire, a holm or islet

Scottish
Hunter

One who hunts game

Scottish
Hutchison

Son of Hutchin, little Hugh

Scottish

I

Inglis

Englishman, from Scots Inglis

Scottish
Irvine

From Irvine in Ayrshire or Dumfriesshire, green river

Scottish

J

Jamison

Son of Jamie, a Scots form of James

Scottish
Jardine

Gardener, from Old French jardin

Scottish
Johnston

From John's town in Annandale; Border reiver family

Scottish

K

Kennedy

Scottish and Irish, helmeted or rough head

Scottish
Kerr

Dweller by marshy ground, Old Norse kjarr

Scottish
Kilpatrick

Servant or church of Saint Patrick

Scottish
Kincaid

From Kincaid in Stirlingshire, head of the pass

Scottish
Kirk

Dweller by a church, Scots kirk

Scottish
Kirkland

Dweller on church land, Scots kirk

Scottish
Kirkpatrick

From a church of Saint Patrick in Dumfriesshire

Scottish
Knox

Dweller on a hillock, Gaelic cnoc

Scottish
Kyle

From Kyle in Ayrshire, possibly narrow strait

Scottish

L

Laird

Landowner or lord, Scots form of lord

Scottish
Leslie

From Leslie in Aberdeenshire, garden of hollies

Scottish
Lindsay

From Lindsey in Lincolnshire, linden island

Scottish
Lockhart

Possibly lock-keeper or from Locard, a personal name

Scottish
Logan

From a little hollow, Gaelic lagan

Scottish
Lowry

From Laurie, a pet form of Lawrence

Scottish
Lusk

Possibly from Lusk near Dublin, a cave

Irish
Lyle

From Norman de l'isle, of the island

Scottish
Lyons

Anglicized Ó Laighin in Ulster

Irish

M

Maxwell

From Maccus's stream on the Tweed

Scottish
McAdoo

From Mac Dhubh, son of the dark one

Irish
McAfee

From Mac Dhuibhshìth, son of the dark peace

Scottish
McBride

Son of the servant of Saint Brigid

Irish
McCall

Son of Cathal, strong in battle

Scottish
McCandless

From Mac Cuinnleis, of uncertain meaning

Irish
McCarter

From Mac Artair, son of Arthur

Scottish
McCaslin

From Mac Ausaláin, son of Absalom

Irish
McClellan

From Mac Gille Fhaolain, son of Saint Fillan's servant

Scottish
McClintock

From Mac Gille Fhionntaig, son of Saint Findan's servant

Scottish
McClure

From Mac Gille Uidhir, son of the pale youth

Scottish
McConnell

From Mac Dhòmhnaill, son of Donald

Scottish
McCord

From Mac Cuairt, son of Cuairt

Irish
McCorkle

From Mac Thorcaill, son of Thorketill

Scottish
McCormick

Son of Cormac, possibly charioteer

Scottish
McCoy

From Mac Aoidh, son of Aodh, fire

Scottish
McCracken

Galloway surname, son of Neachtan, pure

Scottish
McCrary

From Mac Ruidhrí, son of Ruaidhrí, red king

Irish
McCullough

Galloway surname, possibly son of the boar

Scottish
McCurdy

From Mac Mhuircheartaich, son of the navigator

Scottish
McCutcheon

From Mac Uisdein, son of Hugh

Scottish
McDaniel

Americanized Mac Dhòmhnaill, son of Donald

Irish
McDonald

From Mac Dhòmhnaill, son of Donald, world ruler

Scottish
McDowell

From Mac Dubhghaill, son of the dark foreigner

Scottish
McElroy

From Mac Giolla Rua, son of the red-haired lad

Irish
McFarland

From Mac Pharlain, son of Parthalán

Scottish
McGee

From Mac Aoidh, son of Aodh, fire

Irish
McGill

From Mac an Ghoill, son of the stranger

Scottish
McGinnis

From Mag Aonghusa, son of Angus

Irish
McGregor

Son of Gregor, watchful

Scottish
McIlwain

From Mac Gille Bheathain, son of Saint Bean's servant

Scottish
McIntosh

From Mac an Tòisich, son of the chief

Scottish
McIntyre

From Mac an t-Saoir, son of the carpenter

Scottish
McKay

From Mac Aoidh, son of Aodh, fire

Scottish
McKee

From Mac Aoidh, son of Aodh, fire

Scottish
McKinley

From Mac Fhionnlaigh, son of the fair warrior

Scottish
McKinney

From Mac Cionaoith, son of Cionaodh

Scottish
McKnight

From Mac Neachdainn, son of Neachtan, pure

Scottish
McLaughlin

From Mac Lochlainn, son of the Norseman

Irish
McLean

From Mac Gille Eathain, son of Saint John's servant

Scottish
McMahan

From Mac Mathúna, son of the bear

Irish
McMillan

Son of the tonsured one, Mac Mhaolain

Scottish
McMurray

From Mac Muireadhaigh, son of the lord

Scottish
McNabb

From Mac an Aba, son of the abbot

Scottish
McNair

From Mac an Oighre, son of the heir

Scottish
McNeely

From Mac an Fhilidh, son of the poet

Irish
McNeil

From Mac Néill, son of Niall, champion

Scottish
McNutt

From Mac Nuadhat, son of Nuadha

Scottish
McPherson

From Mac a' Phearsain, son of the parson

Scottish
McRae

From Mac Rath, son of grace

Scottish
McWhorter

From Mac Chruiter, son of the harper

Scottish
Melville

Norman-Scottish, from Malleville, bad town

Scottish
Moffat

From Moffat in Dumfriesshire, long plain

Scottish
Moffett

Variant of Moffat, from Dumfriesshire

Scottish
Monteith

From Menteith, moor of the Teith

Scottish
Montgomery

Norman-Scottish, from Montgommery in Normandy, Gumarich's hill

Scottish
Morrison

Son of Maurice, or from Gaelic Mac Gille Mhoire

Scottish
Muir

Dweller on a moor

Scottish
Murdock

From Muireadhach, mariner

Scottish

N

Neely

From Mac an Fhilidh, son of the poet

Irish
Nesbitt

From Nesbit in Berwickshire, nose-shaped bend

Scottish
Nisbet

From Nisbet in Berwickshire, nose-shaped bend

Scottish
Nixon

Son of Nick, from Nicholas; Border reiver family

Scottish

O

Orr

Pale, from Gaelic odhar

Scottish

P

Paisley

From the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire

Scottish
Patterson

Son of Patrick, from Pate

Scottish
Patton

Little Pate, a pet form of Patrick

Scottish
Polk

American shortening of Scottish Pollock

Scottish
Pollock

From Pollok in Renfrewshire, little pool

Scottish
Pringle

From Hoppringle in the Scottish Borders

Scottish

R

Ramsay

From Ramsey, wild garlic island

Scottish
Rankin

Little Randolph, from Ran

Scottish
Rea

Possibly from Mac Rath, son of grace

Irish
Reid

Red-haired or ruddy, Scots form of Read

Scottish
Renfro

American spelling of Renfrew, flowing point

Scottish
Riddle

From Ryedale, or Norman de Ridel

Scottish
Ross

Headland or promontory, Gaelic ros

Scottish
Rutherford

From Rutherford in Roxburghshire, cattle ford

Scottish

S

Scott

A Gael or Scot; Border reiver clan

Scottish
Semple

Norman-Scottish, from Saint-Paul in Normandy

Scottish
Shaw

Dweller by a thicket, or Gaelic Sìthech, wolf

Scottish
Sinclair

Norman-Scottish, from Saint-Clair in Normandy

Scottish
Sloan

From Ó Sluagháin, raider or host

Irish
Snodgrass

From Snodgrass in Ayrshire, smooth grassland

Scottish
Spence

Keeper of a pantry or larder

Scottish
Stevenson

Son of Steven, crown

Scottish
Stewart

Steward of a royal household

Scottish
Stirling

From Stirling, of uncertain meaning

Scottish
Stuart

French spelling of Stewart, royal steward

Scottish

T

Todd

Fox, from Scots and northern English tod

Scottish
Turnbull

Nickname for a strong man who turned a bull

Scottish

W

Wallace

Welshman or Briton, from Norman waleis

Scottish
Wardlaw

From a watch hill in the Borders

Scottish
Watt

From Wat, a pet form of Walter

Scottish
Weir

Dweller by a weir or dam

Scottish
Witherspoon

From a sheep pasture, wether plus spong

Scottish
Wylie

From a pet form of William, or wily

Scottish

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McConnell

From Mac Dhòmhnaill, son of Donald

Scottish
McCord

From Mac Cuairt, son of Cuairt

Irish
Dinsmore

From Dunsmore, possibly great fort

Scottish
Kirk

Dweller by a church, Scots kirk

Scottish
McCandless

From Mac Cuinnleis, of uncertain meaning

Irish
Scott

A Gael or Scot; Border reiver clan

Scottish

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What makes Scots Irish surnames distinctive

The Scots-Irish were mostly Presbyterian families from the Lowlands of Scotland and the English border who settled in Ulster from the early 1600s, during and after the Plantation of Ulster, and whose descendants later crossed to America. Their surnames are therefore mostly Lowland Scottish and northern English, not Irish Gaelic. Names such as Armstrong, Johnston, Graham, Crawford, Patterson, Kerr, Boyd and Montgomery are typical, along with Mac names like McClure, McCullough and McDowell.

Many come from the border reiver families, the raiding clans of the Anglo-Scottish frontier who were broken up after the union of the crowns in 1603 and partly resettled in Ulster: Armstrong, Elliott, Graham, Irvine, Bell and Nixon among them. Others are Lowland place names, such as Cunningham, Montgomery and Hamilton, or patronymics like Dickson and Stevenson. Because Scots settlers lived beside native Irish families for generations, a few Gaelic Irish names crossed over as well.

Scotch Irish surnames on the American frontier

Between about 1717 and the American Revolution, well over a hundred thousand Ulster Presbyterians sailed to America, mostly through Philadelphia. They moved west into Pennsylvania and then south along the Great Wagon Road into the Shenandoah Valley, the Carolina backcountry, Tennessee and Kentucky. Americans called them Scotch Irish, the older form of the name, to tell them apart from the Catholic Irish immigrants who arrived in much larger numbers in the nineteenth century.

Appalachian family names still reflect that migration. Names such as McCoy, Caldwell, Calhoun, Crockett, Houston and Polk are common across the upland South, and several American presidents had Scots-Irish ancestry, including Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, James Buchanan and Woodrow Wilson. Many families lost track of the Ulster link over the generations and now describe themselves as Scottish, as Irish, or simply as American when asked about their roots.

Tracing Scots-Irish surnames in family research

A surname alone rarely proves Scots-Irish ancestry, because the same names occur in Scotland, England and elsewhere in Ireland. The strongest signs are a Presbyterian church record, an Ulster county of origin such as Antrim, Down, Londonderry or Tyrone, and an arrival in Pennsylvania or the southern backcountry in the eighteenth century. Family Bibles, land grants and early tax and census records in Virginia and the Carolinas often hold the clues.

Spelling varied widely on the frontier. Kerr, Carr and Karr can be one family, as can Irvine, Irwin and Erwin, or McCullough and McCulloch. When choosing a name for a character in Appalachia or the early American West, a name like Crawford, McKee, Caldwell or Ewing adds historical accuracy. Use the list above to browse by letter and read the meanings, many of which point back to Lowland Scottish places or families.

Frequently asked questions

Which Scots Irish surnames are the most typical?

Typical names include Armstrong, Johnston, Graham, Crawford, Patterson, Montgomery, Boyd, Kerr, Campbell, Ferguson and Hamilton, plus Mac names like McClure, McCullough, McKee and McDowell. Most originated in Lowland Scotland or the English border and travelled to America by way of Ulster.

What is the difference between Scotch Irish and Scots Irish?

They mean the same people. Scotch Irish is the older American term, used since the eighteenth century. Scots-Irish became preferred in the twentieth century because many people in Scotland consider Scotch a word for whisky rather than for people. Ulster Scots is the usual term in Northern Ireland itself.

Are Scots-Irish surnames Irish or Scottish?

Mostly Scottish, with some northern English names. The families lived in Ulster for several generations before emigrating, so they are Irish by place of departure but Scottish by origin. A few intermarried with Gaelic Irish families and adopted their names, which is why the line between the two is not perfectly sharp.

Were Scots-Irish families Catholic?

Most were Presbyterian, which set them apart from the Catholic Irish who arrived later. On the American frontier many joined Baptist and Methodist churches, so their descendants today belong to many denominations. Church affiliation in early records is one of the best clues when researching a possible Scots-Irish family.