Anderson
The surname Anderson is a patronymic name meaning “son of Andrew.” It originated in England and Scotland from the personal name Andrew, itself derived from the Greek Andreas.…
Origins & naming traditions
Explore family names connected to Scottish places, languages, and naming traditions. Follow their meanings and histories through surname profiles and research sources.
surname profiles to explore
The surname directory
Showing 1–12 of 20 profiles
The surname Anderson is a patronymic name meaning “son of Andrew.” It originated in England and Scotland from the personal name Andrew, itself derived from the Greek Andreas.…
The surname Brown is a descriptive nickname first recorded in the 11th century, with documented origins in England, Scotland, and Ireland. In each tradition it arose independently, meaning…
The surname Cameron derives from Gaelic elements meaning “crooked nose” or a reference to a river, and it can also come from place names in Scotland. It is…
The Campbell surname is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic nickname cam beul meaning “wry or crooked mouth.” The name also appears in Latin documents as de…
The surname Douglas derives from the Scottish Gaelic dubh glas, meaning "black stream," and is a habitational name from several places in Scotland, most notably Douglas in South…
Fraser is a Scottish surname that most scholars trace back to a French personal name meaning “from France” or “Frenchman”, making it a locational surname. The spelling has…
The surname Hill means “person who lived on a hill” and is of English and Scottish topographic origin. It ranks among the most common surnames in England, Scotland,…
The surname Kelly has several documented origins: an Irish patronymic from Ó Ceallaigh, a Scottish locational name from Kelly near Arbroath or Kellie in Fife, and an English…
Kennedy is an Irish Gaelic patronymic meaning ‘grandson of Cinnédidh’ and also a distinct Scottish clan name from Carrick, Ayrshire. The Gaelic personal name combines elements meaning ‘chief’…
The surname MacDonald (and its variant McDonald) is a patronymic name meaning "son of Dòmhnall", originating in Scottish and Irish Gaelic. It derives from the personal name Donald,…
The Mackenzie surname originates from Scotland, derived from the Gaelic Mac Coinnich meaning "son of Coinneach"—a personal name meaning "comely" or "handsome." It is a patronymic surname with…
The surname Martin derives from the Latin name Martinus, meaning ‘of Mars’ or ‘warlike’, with additional Gaelic patronymic forms in Scotland. It has multiple independent origins and is…
This directory includes published profiles. Review status is shown on each card. A surname may belong to more than one origin or formation type.