Stream Your Favorite HISTORY Documentaries, All Commercial-Free. Start Streaming Today For Only $5.99/Month.
A journey into your past is just seconds away. Start your free 14-day trial. Make amazing discoveries about your ancestry - Start your free trial today.
Find names, dates & locations. Make amazing discoveries about your ancestors! Search 11.5 Billion Records & Free Family Tree Search. Start Discovering Today.
Multilingual support:
Search results
People also ask
When did surnames become popular in Scotland?
What are Scottish surnames?
How do I know if my surname is Scottish?
When did family names become accepted in Scotland?
Why are Scottish names called 'bynames'?
Who were the earliest people in Scotland to adopt fixed surnames?
Mar 21, 2016 · By investigating the origins of Scotland’s common names using historical literature, we are able to map where many of Scottish surnames originate.
The earliest surnames found in Scotland occur during the reign of David I, King of Scots (1124–53). These were Anglo-Norman names which had become hereditary in England before arriving in Scotland (for example, the contemporary surnames de Brus, de Umfraville, and Ridel).
- Bynames
- Scottish Surnames Focus
- Locations and Occupations
- Gaelic
- Foreign Influence
Bynames fell into a few categories, and one of these was ‘patronymic’, which means that the surname was derived from the father’s forename. But these patronymics were put together differently depending on whether you were from the Highlands or the Lowlands of Scotland. If you were from the Lowlands of Scotland then the surname would be as follows: ...
Murray– comes from Moray in the Highlands. Abercrombie– comes from the town of the same name in Scotland. Macintosh– The name comes from the Gaelic mac an toisich meaning ‘son of the chieftain’.
Bynames also fell into categories of locations and occupations. Many of the first surnames used derived from locations or the land owned, and the upper classes were the first to have these types of surnames. Other surnames derive from the jobs that people did. Some are more obvious than others. – Taylor comes from the occupation tailor. Smith comes...
A lot of surnames came from Gaelic words. Often some were nicknames for people to distinguish one John from another in the time before surnames. These surnames over time were anglicized to make them easier to pronounce. Or they were changed completely to hide a person’s origins if they migrated to the Lowlands. The surname Campbell derives from the...
As well as Gaelic, Scottish surnames also came from other languages. This is because of the numerous invasions and occupations Scotland encountered over the centuries. The most common influences discovered in surnames are from the Norsemen and Norman periods. The surnames Gunn and Thorburn are both old Norse names. The Norsemen, who came from Scand...
Family history. Surnames, histories and biographies. If you are interested in finding out whether your surname is of Scottish origin you should consult sources such as: 'The surnames of Scotland: their origin, meaning, and history', by George F Black. (New York: New York Public Library, 1979.)
Scottish surnames (called 'last names' in the US) have evolved over centuries, and their history and origins are much more complicated than you might think. If you have a Scottish last name and want to know what it means, where it came from, and whether or not it can help you trace your family tree... you'll find the answers you're looking for ...
Jan 27, 2019 · Scottish surnames as we know them today — family names passed down intact from father to son to grandson — were first introduced into Scotland by the Normans about the year 1100. Such hereditary names were not universally prevalent and settled, however.
The surnames of Scotland : their origin, meaning, and history / by George F. Black
