List of Scots
List of Scots is an incomplete list of notable people from Scotland.
Actors
Architects
Artists
- Cosmo Alexander (c. 1724–1772), noted portraitist in the United States[1]
- John Alexander ( -1733), painter and engraver
- David Allan (1744–1796), painter of historical subjects
- Muirhead Bone (1876–1953), etcher
- Mark Boyle (1934–2005)
- Robert Brough (1872–1905), painter
- John Byrne (born 1940)
- James Cadenhead (1858–1927), painter
- George Paul Chalmers (1836–1878), painter
- Robert Colquhoun (1914–1962)
- Jack M. Ducker (1890-unknown), painter who specialized in highland landscapes
- Ian Fairweather (1891–1974), Scottish/Australian painter
- Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925–2006), sculptor and installation artist
- John Watson Gordon (1788–1864), painter
- James Guthrie (1859–1930), painter
- George Heriot (1563–1624), Scottish goldsmith, jeweler, and philanthropist
- Peter Howson (born 1958)
- John Kelso Hunter (1802–1873), self-taught portrait painter and author of two books
- Hew Lorimer (1907–1993), sculptor and brother of architect Robert Lorimer
- Robert MacBryde (1913–1966)
- Dugald MacColl (1859–1948)
- Margaret MacDonald (1865–1933), wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
- James MacGillivray, sculptor (1856–1938)
- David Mach (born 1956), sculptor and installation artist
- William MacTaggart (1903–1981), landscape painter
- R. R. McIan (1803–1856), painter
- William McTaggart (1835–1910), landscape painter
- William Miller, engraver (1796–1882)
- Alexander Nasmyth (1758–1840), landscape painter
- Patrick Nasmyth (1787–1831), landscape painter, son of Alexander
- John Pettie (1839–1893), painter
- Henry Raeburn (1756–1823), portrait painter
- John Robertson Reid (1851–1926), painter
- Alexander Runciman (1736–1785), painter of historical and mythological subjects
- Archibald Skirving (1749–1819), Scottish portrait painter
- Reverend John Thomson (1778–1840), landscape painter and minister of Duddingston Kirk
- Jack Vettriano (born 1951)
- Alison Watt (1965- ), painter
- David Wilkie (1785–1841), painter
- Christopher Wood (born 1962), contemporary abstract landscape painter
Business
- Arthur Anderson (1792–1868), co-founder of P&O
- James Gordon Bennett, Sr. (1795–1872) founder and publisher of the New York Herald
- Alexander Berry (1781–1873), town of Berry named after him, possibly first millionaire in Australia
- David Buick (1854–1929) founded the Buick car company
- Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), steel magnate, major philanthropist
- William Davidson (1740–1890) entrepreneur and founder of the first colony in New Brunswick, Canada
- Dr. Henry Duncan (1774–1846) Church of Scotland Minister. Started the world's first savings bank in Ruthwell, Dumfries and Galloway
- Sir Tom Farmer (born 1940), entrepreneur
- Ann Gloag (1942–Present) Co-founder of Stagecoach Group, born in Perth
- Thomas Blake Glover (1838–1911) Nagasaki-based trader in 19th century Japan
- Robert Gordon (1668–1731), founder of the Robert Gordon University
- Willie Haughey (1956–present) Entrepreneur and founder of City Refrigeration Holdings
- George Heriot (1563–1624), goldsmith and founder of George Heriot's School
- Tom Hunter, entrepreneur and philanthropist, founder of Sports Division
- Irvine Laidlaw (born 1943) Scotland's 6th richest man and founder of the modern conference company
- John Law (1671–1729), advocate of paper money and founder of the Mississippi Company
- Thomas Leishman, founder of United Breweries, India
- Stewart Milne, founder of Stewart Milne Group and majority shareholder of Aberdeen F.C.
- Alexander Mitchell (1871–1934), entrepreneur
- Michelle Mone (born 1971), founder of Ultimo
- William Paterson (1658–1719), founder Bank of Scotland and Bank of England
- George Watson (1654–1723), first chief accountant of the Bank of Scotland, and founder of George Watson's College
- William Walls (1819–1893), lawyer and industrialist, influenced the development of 19th century Glasgow
- Wilson, Sons (1837–present) Edward and Fleetwood Pellow Wilson (One of South America's largest shipping brokers)
- Brian Souter (1954–present) Entrepreneur and co-founder of Stagecoach Group
Composers
Criminals
Economists
Engineers and inventors
- Sir William Arrol (1839–1913), bridge builder
- Alexander Bain (1818–1903), fax machine
- John Logie Baird (1888–1946), television
- Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), telephone, National Geographic, Hydrofoil
- Henry Bell (1767–1830), ran Europe's first commercially successful steamboat
- George Bennie (1891–1957), The Bennie Railplane
- Sir James Black (1924–2010), Beta-blockers
- Robert Blair (1748–1828), The aplanatic telescope
- James Braid (1795–1860), hypnosis
- David Brewster (1781–1868), Lenticular stereoscope
- James Chalmers (1782–1853), adhesive postage stamp
- Sir Dugald Clark (aka Clerk), (1854–1932), first two stroke cycle engine (the Clark cycle)
- Gerald Eric Connor (Electronic Engineer) (Born 1962)
- Robert Davidson (1804–1894), first electric locomotive
- James Dewar (1842–1923), inventor of the Thermos flask and co-developer of cordite
- William Dickson (1860–1935), motion picture camera and the world's first film
- John Boyd Dunlop (1840–1921), the modern rubber tyre
- Patrick Ferguson (1744–1780), The Ferguson rifle
- Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), isolated Penicillin from the fungus Penicillium notatum
- James Gregory (1638–1675), The Gregorian telescope
- James Harrison (1816–1893), pioneer in mechanical refrigeration
- James Bowman Lindsay (1799–1862), inventor of the constant electric light bulb
- Charles Macintosh (1766–1843), patented waterproofing
- Kirkpatrick MacMillan (1813–1878), bicycle
- John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836), modern road construction
- Sir Robert McAlpine (Concrete Bob), (1847–1934), road builder
- Patrick Miller (1730–1815), steamboat pioneer
- William Murdoch (1754–1839), pioneer of gas lighting
- John Napier (1550–1617), Logarithm
- James Nasmyth (1808–1890), Steam Hammer
- William Paterson (1658–1719), The Bank of England
- William John Macquorn Rankine (1820–1872), developed a complete theory of the steam engine and indeed of all heat engines
- John Rennie the Elder (1761–1821), engineer, designer of the "new" 19th Century London Bridge
- Robert Stirling Newall (1812–1889), engineer, improved wire rope and submarine cable laying.
- John Shepherd-Barron (1925-2010), inventor of the Automatic Teller Machine
- William Symington (1764–1831), engineer, built the first practical steam boat
- Thomas Telford (1757–1834) architect, civil engineer, bridge designer
- Robert William Thomson (1822–1873)
- Sir Robert Watson-Watt (1893–1973), Developed Radar
- James Watt (1736–1819), engineer, significantly improved the steam engine
- James Young (1811–1883), Invented a way of extracting paraffin oil
- James Young Simpson (1811–1870), introduced chloroform into surgery
- Archibald Cochrane, 9th Earl of Dundonald, (1749–1831) made many general useful inventions, particularly in the navy
- Sir Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (1775–1860), designed many inventions to do with naval technology as well as steam engines
Explorers
- Albert Armitage
- John Arthur
- William Balfour Baikie (1824–1864), Africa, surgeon and naturalist on the 1854 Niger expedition
- Peter Belches
- Alexander Berry
- Henry Robertson Bowers
- James Bruce (1730–1794), traveller and travel writer
- William S. Bruce (1867–1921) Antarctica, first to widely explore the Weddell Sea
- David Buchan
- Colin Campbell (1686–1757), co-founder of the Swedish East India Company
- David Douglas (1799–1834), explorer, botanist, introduced about 240 species of plants to Great Britain, including the Douglas-fir
- Hugh Clapperton
- John Dundas Cochrane
- William Cormack
- Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham ("Don Roberto"), (1852–1936)
- William Kennedy Dickson
- Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton (1903–1973), Mount Everest, aviator and first man to see Everest from above
- Alexander Forbes, American Pacific coast
- Henry Ogg Forbes
- Simon Fraser, Canada, Fraser River in British Columbia
- George Glas
- Robert Gordon of Straloch (1580–1661), map maker of Scotland
- James Augustus Grant (1827–1892), eastern Africa, member of the exhibition that found the sources of the Nile
- James Hector
- Alexander Keith Johnston (1844–1879)
- John Kirk
- Alexander Gordon Laing (1793–1826), first European to reach Timbuktu
- Macgregor Laird
- William Lithgow
- David Livingstone (1813–1873), explorer, missionary in Africa, discovered Victoria Falls
- John MacGregor
- Gregor MacGregor
- Alexander Mackenzie (1764–1820), Canada & Arctic Ocean
- Harry McNish
- Archibald Menzies (1754–1852)
- Major Sir Thomas Mitchell (1792–1855), Australia
- John Muir (1838–1914)
- John Murray
- Mungo Park (1771–1806), Africa, first European to reach the Niger
- William Paterson
- John Rae (1813–1893), Canadian Arctic
- John Richardson
- Sir James Clark Ross (born in London), (1800–1862), Antarctica, discovered the Ross Sea, Victoria Land, and the volcanoes Mount Erebus and Mount Terror
- Henry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney (c. 1345 – c. 1400), allegedly explored North America in 1398
- John McDouall Stuart (1815–1866), most famous of all Australia's inland explorers, led the first expedition to successfully traverse the continent from south to north
- Joseph Thomson
- John Wood
- James Wordie
- Charles Wyville Thomson
- Tom Weir (1914–2006), climber, author and broadcaster
Humourists
Musicians
Philosophers
- John Abercrombie (1780–1844)
- John Anderson (1893–1962)
- Thomas Brown (1778–1820)
- Adam Ferguson (1723–1816)
- Sir William Hamilton (1788–1888)
- Henry Home, Lord Kames (1696–1782)
- David Hume (1711–1776), inspired Immanuel Kant (Himself of Scottish Heritage through his mother)
- John Mair, othewise known as Major, (1467–1550), teacher of George Buchanan, John Knox, and influencer of Calvin and Loyola
- Alasdair MacIntyre (born 1929)
- John Macmurray (1891–1976)
- James McCosh (1811–1894)
- Thomas Reid (1710–1796), played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment
- Duns Scotus (1265–1308), teacher of William of Ockham
- Adam Smith (1723–1790), Economist, Free Trade, Division of Labour
- Dugald Stewart (1753–1828), common sense philosopher.
Photographers
Rulers, politicians, soldiers
- James Alexander (1691–1756), attorney general of New Jersey[1]
- Cardinal David Beaton (c. 1494–1546)
- Tony Blair (born 1953), Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Gordon Brown (born 1951), Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, (2007–2010)
- Calgacus
- Richard Cameron (c. 1648–1680), Republican Covenanter and founder of the "Cameronians"
- Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde (1792–1863)
- Sir Colin Campbell (d. 1296) Warrior of Clan Campbell
- Sir Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (1775–1860), Admiral in the Royal Navy
- James Connolly (1868–1916) Irish socialist leader, executed by firing squad following the Easter Rising.
- Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham ("Don Roberto"), (1852–1936), first socialist Member of Parliament (MP)
- Sir Frederick Currie, 1st Baronet (1799–1875)
- James Currie (1756–1805) biographer of Robert Burns, early advocate of hydropathy
- Mark John Currie (1795–1874), explorer, founder settler of Western Australia, Admiral in the Royal Navy
- Donald Dewar (1937–2000), former First Minister of Scotland
- Sir Archibald Douglas (c. 1298–1333), Regent of Scotland and leader of Scots forces at the Battle of Halidon Hill
- James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (1525–1581), Regent of Scotland
- Alec Douglas-Home (1903–1995), Conservative Prime minister of the United Kingdom
- Iain Duncan Smith (born 1954), leader of the Conservative party
- Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1653–1716)
- John Forbes (1707–1759), Scottish general
- Liam Fox (1961- ) Conservative politician
- Annabel Goldie (born 1950), leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612–1650), Covenanter and Royalist leader of Highland Armies
- Viscount (Bonnie) Dundee (c. 1648–1689), Jacobite Highland Army leader
- Iain Gray (born 1957), Scottish Labour Party politician
- Jo Grimond (1913–1993), Liberal Party leader from 1956–67
- Douglas Haig (1861–1928), Commander of British Forces during World War I
- James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran (1516–1575), Regent of Scotland.
- Keir Hardie (1856–1915)
- David B. Henderson (1840–1906), politician and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1899 to 1903
- Hugh Henry (born 1952), Scottish Labour politician
- King James IV (1473–1513)
- James VI of Scotland and I of England (1603–1625)
- Charles I of Scotland and of England (1625–1649)
- Tom Johnston (Tam), (1882–1965), World War II Secretary of State for Scotland
- John Paul Jones (1747–1792), father of the American Navy
- Charles Kennedy (born 1959), leader of the Liberal Democrats 1999-2006
- Arthur MacArthur, Sr. Governor of Wisconsin and grandfather of Gen. Douglas MacArthur
- Macbeth of Scotland (c. 1005–1057), High King of Scotland
- Jack McConnell (born 1960), First Minister of Scotland (2001–2007)
- John MacCormick (1904–1961), nationalist
- John A. Macdonald (1815–1891), first Prime Minister of Canada
- Margo MacDonald (born 1943), nationalist
- Malcolm MacDonald (1901–1981)
- Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Rob Roy MacGregor (1671–1734)
- Archie McKellar (1912–1940) Battle of Britain ace pilot
- Alexander Mackenzie (1822–1892), second Prime Minister of Canada
- Colin Mackenzie (c. 1754–1821), soldier in British India
- Alexander Slidell MacKenzie, US NAvy
- Ranald Slidell Mackenzie, US Cavalryman
- William McKinley, US President
- John MacLean (1879–1923), revolutionary
- Henry McLeish (born 1948) former First Minister
- Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587)
- Jimmy Maxton (1885–1946), leader of the Independent Labour Party
- Hugh Mercer Continental Army General
- Richard Montgomery Continental Army General
- Viscount Montgomery British Field Marshal
- Andrew Moray (died 1297) military leader during the Scottish Wars of Independence
- George Smith Patton US General-World War II
- Jerry Rawlings (born 1947), former president of Ghana; partly of Scottish descent
- George Reid (born 1939)
- Robert the Bruce (1274–1329), Robert I of Scotland
- Alex Salmond (born 1954), current First Minister (since 2007), and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP)
- Tavish Scott (born 1956), Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Tommy Sheridan (born 1964), Solidarity
- Jim Sillars (born 1937), founder of Scottish Labour Party (1976), MP
- John Smith (1938–1994) Labour Party leader
- David Steel (born 1938), Liberal Party leader from 1976–88
- Nicol Stephen (born 1960), former leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Sir James Stirling (1791–1865), 1st Governor of Western Australia, Admiral in the Royal Navy
- Lord Stirling, American Revolutionary War General
- Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720–1788), Jacobite Field Marshal and heir to the throne of Great Britain.
- John Swinney (born 1964), Scottish National Party (SNP) politician
- Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso (1890–1970), Liberal Party leader from 1935–45
- Nicola Sturgeon (born 1970), Deputy First Minister of Scotland, and Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP)
- William Wallace (c. 1270–1305), a.k.a. The Wallace
- General Sir Thomas Graham, Lord Lynedoch (1748–1843), leading Napoleonic General.
- Sir Thomas John Cochrane (1789–1872), Royal Navy First Sea Lord.
Scientists
Sportspeople
- See also Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.
- Gary Anderson, (born 1970), professional darts player
- Robert Archibald (born 1980), 1st Scottish NBA player
- Alain Baxter (born 1973), alpine skier
- Jim Baxter (1939–2001), footballer
- Ken Buchanan (born 1945), world champion boxer
- Sir Matt Busby (1909–1994), former football manager, won the European Cup in 1968
- Jim Clark (1936–1968), Formula One driver
- Steph Cook (born 1972) modern pentathlete, Olympic gold medallist
- Davie Cooper (1956–1995), footballer
- David Coulthard (born 1971), Formula One driver
- Kenny Dalglish (born 1951), retired footballer and manager of Liverpool F.C.
- Sir Alex Ferguson (born 1941), retired footballer and current manager of Manchester United F.C.
- Darren Fletcher (born 1984), international footballer
- David Florence (born 1982), slalom canoeist
- Dario Franchitti (born 1973), Indy Car Driver
- Marino Franchitti (born 1978), American Le Mans Driver
- Drew Galloway (born 1985), professional wrestler
- Wyndham Halswelle (1882–1915), Olympic champion runner
- Dougal Haston (1940–1977), mountaineer
- Stephen Hendry (born 1969), professional snooker player, 7 times World champion
- John Higgins (born 1975), professional snooker player, 3 times World champion
- Chris Hoy (born 1976), world, Olympic and Commonwealth champion track cyclist
- Gerry Hughes (born 1958), sailor, first single-handed atlantic crossing by a deaf person
- Gary Jacobs, Scottish, British, Commonwealth, and European (EBU) welterweight champion boxer[2]
- Jimmy Johnstone (1944–2006), football player
- Dominic Kinnear (born 1967), former soccer player, now the head coach of Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer.
- Denis Law (born 1940), football player
- Eric Liddell (1902–1945), athlete, one of the two subjects of Chariots of Fire
- Jackie Lockhart (born 1965), curler, skip of Scotland team which won the 2002 world championships
- Benny Lynch (1913–1946), world champion boxer
- Hamish MacInnes (born 1930), mountaineer
- Craig MacLean (born 1971), world, Olympic and Commonwealth champion track cyclist
- Rhona Martin (born 1966), curler, Olympic gold medallist
- Catriona Matthew (born 1969), golfer
- Ally McCoist (born 1962), football player
- Liz McColgan (born 1964), athlete
- William McGregor (1846–1911), founder of the Football League in England
- Billy McNeill (born 1940), footballer and a manager of Celtic F.C.
- Colin McRae (1968–2007), world champion rally driver
- David Millar (born 1977), road cyclist
- Robert Millar (born 1958), professional cyclist, "King of the Mountains" in 1984 Tour de France
- Willie Miller (born 1955), International footballer and captain of Aberdeen when they won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983
- Janice Moodie (born 1973), golfer
- Colin Montgomerie (Born 1963), golfer, winner of European Tour Order of Merit a record 8 times
- Hugh Munro (1856–1919), mountaineer, famous for his list of mountains
- Andy Murray (born 1987), tennis player
- Jamie Murray (born 1986), tennis player, doubles, Wimbledon winner 2007 mixed doubles
- Graeme Obree (born 1965), world record holding cyclist
- Bill Shankly (1914–1981), One of Liverpool F.C.'s most successful managers
- Jock Stein (1922–1985), football manager, won the European Cup with Celtic F.C.
- Sir Jackie Stewart (born 1939), world champion Formula One driver
- Bobby Thomson (born 1923), Scots-born American baseball player
- Andrew Watson (born 1857, date of death unknown) world's first black international football player, captain and administrator
- Jim Watt (born 1948), world champion boxer, won the WBC World Lightweight title
- David Wilkie (born 1954), swimmer
- Jocky Wilson (born 1950), World professional Darts Champion in 1982 and 1989
- Allan McNish (born 1969), racing driver
Television and radio personalities
Theologians
- Saint Mungo (also known as Saint Kentigern), (died 614)
- John Duns Scotus (c. 1266–1308)
- Patrick Hamilton, first Protestant martyr in Scotland, burnt at the stake in 1527
- George Wishart (1513–1546), Protestant martyr
- John Knox (c. 1513–1572), leader of the Scottish Reformation
- Alexander Henderson (1583–1646)
- William Guthrie (1620–1665), author of "The Christian's Great Interest"
- James Renwick (1662–1688), covenanter and martyr
- Thomas Boston (1676–1732), pastor and theologian
- Ralph Erskine (1685–1752), preacher and poet
- Thomas McCrie (1772–1835), pastor and historian (wrote the 'Life of John Knox')
- Robert Murray McCheyne (1813–1843), minister of the Gospel, missionary to the Jewish people
- David Livingstone (1813–1873), missionary and explorer in Africa
- William Chalmers Burns (1815–1868), revival preacher, missionary to China
- Alexander Penrose Forbes (1817–1875)
- Hugh Martin (1821–1885), pastor and writer
- William Robinson Clark (1829–1912), Dean of Taunton and later Professor in Toronto
- James Frazer (1854–1941), anthropologist of comparative religion and myth
- Richard Holloway (born 1933)
- George Newlands
- John Murray (1898–1975), Calvinist theologian and Presbyterian minister
- The Revd Professor Norman Walker Porteous (1898–2003), translator of the Bible
- Andrew Purves
- Thomas Torrance (1913–2007)
- James Barr (1924–2006)
Writers
Other notable people
- Andrew Bell (1753–1832), developer of the Madras system of education
- Alexander Donaldson (bookseller), appellant in the copyright case, Donaldson v Beckett; founder/publisher of the Edinburgh Advertiser
- James Donaldson (publisher), publisher of the Edinburgh Advertiser; founder of Donaldson's Hospital
- Helen Duncan (1897–1956), last woman to be tried under the Witchcraft Act
- Donald Findlay (born 1951)
- Alexander Kinloch Forbes (1821–1865) scholar of the Gujarati language
- Sir Andrew Gilchrist (1910–1993) diplomat
- Kirsty Hume (born 1976), Model
- Elsie Inglis (1864–1917), medical reformer and suffragette
- Princess Kaiulani Cleghorn of Hawaii (1876–1899), Daughter of Archibald Cleghorn and Princess Miriam Likelike (sister of Queen Lili'iuokalani
- Captain Kidd (1645–1701), pirate
- Mary Lyon (1797–1849) First Woman Principal in America
- Flora MacDonald (1722–1790), Jacobite and United Empire Loyalist
- Jamie Macpherson (1675–1700), outlaw and author of MacPherson's Lament or Rant
- James Murdoch (1856–1921) Journalist and Teacher
- Allan Pinkerton (1819–1884), North American detective
- John Charles Walsham Reith (1889–1971), First Director General of the BBC
- Alexander Selkirk (1676–1723), Inspiration for Robinson Crusoe
- Mary Slessor (1848–1915), missionary and advocate for women's rights
- Stella Tennant (born 1970), model
- Betty Miller Unterberger (born 1922), historian, born in Scotland but reared in the United States, first woman professor at Texas A&M University
- Roderick Wright (1940–2005), Disgraced Catholic bishop
- Dennis Nilsen (born 1945), serial killer
- John George Govan (1861–1927), founder of the Faith Mission
- William Irvine (1863–1947), evangelist and founder of the Cooneyite and Two by Two sects
- Charles Cameron (magician) Scottish Magician (1927–2001), godfather of bizarre magic.
See also
References