Meaning of Scott

Though today many people have Scott as their given name, Scott was originally a Scottish surname. It is a derivation of the Latin Scoti, which was a term for those who spoke Gaelic. For this reason it emerged as one of the original surnames of those inhabiting modern-day Scotland during the time of the Roman Empire.

Popularity of Scott

The name of Scott is was the 67th most popular baby boy’s name in Scotland in 2012 (Scottish Goverment Statistics).

Famous People

Scott is such a common name that there is a very long list of people with either its given or surname form. One great example from popular fiction is Montgomery Scott or “Scotty” from the TV show Star Trek. Bon Scott, with Scott as a surname, was the first lead singer for the band AC/DC. In American history, there is also the famous “Dred Scott Decision” which involved an American slave by the name of Dred Scott. Scott Disick, Scott Mills, and Scott Sinclair are all examples of the use of Scott as a given name.

Variations

Those with the name of Scott will also sometimes adopt nickname versions of their name such as Scotto and Scotty. Occasionally you will also see the name Scott spelled “Scot”.

Useful Resources

• Our extensive list of Scottish male names.