Scott (name)

Scott
Language(s) Celtic
Origin
Meaning "Painted warrior" [1]
Look up Scott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Scott is a surname of Scottish origin.[2] It is first attributed to Uchtredus filius Scoti who is mentioned in the charter recording in the foundation of Holyrood Abbey and Selkirk in 1120 and the border Riding clans who settled Peebleshire in the 10th century and the Duke of Buccleuch.[3]

Etymology and history of the surname

Auld Wat of Harden by Tom Scott. A romanticised image of a notorious border raider and clan member Walter Scott of Harden.

The surname Scott (Scot, Scotts, Scutt, Scotter) as opposed to its earlier unrelated usage first appears in the 12th century and derives from the Anglo-Scottish border and its medieval border clans.[2][4][5] Scott is one of the twelve most common surnames in Scotland. The Scott's clan were one of the most powerful of the Riding Clans of the Scottish borders and rose to power in the turbulent, often violent region, where they conducted fierce raider and battles with neighboring clans.

The surname appears in Kent, England by the 14th century and is thought to descend Alexander de Baliol brother of John de Baliol King of Scotland. Or from retainers of King David I king of Scotland who held lands from the Earl of Huntingdon.[2] By the 17th century the name is first recorded in Ireland as a surname.[4] There is no evidence the surname may have originated with the first Gaelic settlers from Ireland despite its use as a marker for a Gael by the Romans. Moreover in the Medieval period the surname was associated with the Kingdom of Scotland rather than an early Irish Medieval Gaelic kingdom DalRiada who did not refer to themselves as such, even though separate sources claim that the name was derived from the Scots who invaded Dalriada (Argyll) from Ireland.[6]

People

People with the surname

Fictional characters

People with the given name

Fictional

References

  1. ↑ "Scott | Name Meaning & Origin | Boy Name Scott | Baby Names World". Babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 A Dictionary of English Surnames By Percy Hide Reaney, Richard
  3. ↑ Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire by Bernard Burke p981
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Scottish Surnames of Colonial America by David Dobson p129
  5. ↑ "Scott Family Crest and History". Houseofnames.com. 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  6. ↑ http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/clans_index.htm

See also