Scottish Names

Is your surname Scottish? Scottish names have been reported in the 2000 U.S. Census.

The statistics for the last census are interesting to note. Of the people who listed their ancestry as Scottish, their surnames have been categorized. The Census Bureau reported the popularity of Scottish names.

There are 4,890,581 families who listed Scottish as their primary ancestry. That’s 1.7% of the total U.S. population.

Another 4,319,232 families claimed Scotch-Irish ancestry, which is 1.5% of the population.

The 2000 U.S. Census also ranked surnames by popularity. This listing is of the 50 most popular Scottish names and their overall ranking with all surnames used in the U.S.

According to 1990 U.S. Census data, among the top hundred surnames in the U.S., 84 Scottish names are listed below, with their census rank ~

By comparison, in Scotland the surname frequencies are ~

If you've found your surname in these lists of Scottish names, you can be pretty well assured you have Scottish ancestry. If you also live in any of the red areas on the map below, this is one more key to possible Scottish ancestry.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census map, the Scottish distribution across America is centered in the Pacific Northwest. The red shows where people who claim to be of Scottish heritage live.

Perhaps the concentrations in the West are due to the Scots who explored the Rockies and developed our fur trade.

If you live in New England, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, anywhere west of the Mississippi, or in Alaska, the odds look pretty good for you having some Scottish heritage.

With having lived for years in Texas, I didn’t know such a concentration was found in West Texas.

Looking at Florida, even those who come from the hale and hearty stock of Scotland seem to like retiring to Florida. I’ve a cousin who is a Ross, who retired and flew away to Florida as quickly as he could.

The Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma show a surprising lack of “claimed” Scottish heritage.

Using the Scottish names listed above, you can also see where your ancestors came from in Scotland.

With a better idea of where you’ve come from, and how your family got to where they are in the U.S., it’s time to go back to the Tartan page...

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