By Janice Jones |Last Updated 03-22-2024
Think Scottish and you are likely to conjure up images of Bagpipes, Kilts and Scotch whiskey.
Lest sounding a little cliché, Scotland is also known for their haggis, porridge and shortbread.
Home to highlands, lochs, hundreds, and hundreds of islands, Scotland is a modern country with a rich long history.
The Loch Ness Monster might make his home there, but to dog people, the country represents a long tradition of breeding amazing dogs.
The Scots developed many of the modern breeds, quite a few being small dogs.
Border Terrier
Cairn Terrier
West Highland White Terrier
Shetland Sheepdog
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Scottish Terrier
Scotland's terrain is diverse and rugged, ranging from the rolling hills of the Lowlands to the towering peaks of the Highlands.
Much of the country is peppered with beautiful lochs, untamed islands, and dense forests, making it a perfect setting for dog breeds that thrive in the wilderness.
The Scottish climate is renowned for its variability, with the potential for sun, rain, and wind all in the same day. Winters can be particularly harsh, especially in the Highlands.
Such conditions necessitated the breeding of hardy dog breeds that could withstand the country's weather extremes. Scottish dog breeds were often called upon to perform various tasks depending on their size and characteristics.
Larger breeds such as the Border Collie and the Scottish Deerhound were typically used for herding livestock or hunting, requiring speed, agility, and a degree of intelligence. The Scottish Deerhound is courageous and loyal, making it a valued companion in various tasks.
Smaller breeds, like the Scottish Terrier, were bred for their ability to chase down and disperse vermin on farms.
Regardless of their size, all these breeds were bred to be incredibly resilient, just like the Scottish landscape itself.
Bearded Collie
Golden Retriever
Gordon Setter
Rough Collie
Scottish Deerhound
Smooth Collie
Skye Terrier
Adaira - from the fork at the oak tree
Aggie - Pure or Chase
Aila - From a strong place
Ailsa - from an old Viking name of a Scottish island
Ainsley from Scottish meaning Clearing with a hermitage (girl or boy name)
Alba - Gaelic word for Scotland
Annie - means Gracie
Bietris - voyager
Blair - field or plain
Bonni - Many charms and beauty
Bridget - from the Gaelic meaning power or strength
Camden - Winding valley
Cauley - meaning, "she is like a relic"
Christie - of Scottish origin meaning Christian
Ceit - Scottish Gaelic form of Kate or Catherine meaning pure
Clutha - A Gaelic word meaning “water goddess”.
Colina - a little puppy
Cora - Maiden or young woman
Dallas (boy or girl) means living on a clearing
Davina - from the male name David, loved one
Donna - feminine form of the Scottish name Donald meaning mighty ruler
Donalda - ruler of the world
Drew - Brave; the feminine form of Andrew
Eara - from the East
Elise - means pledged to God
Elsbeth - the Scottish equivalent of Elizabeth
Fenella - one with a fair shoulder
Fergie (for a boy or a girl) means vigorous
Fiona - meaning fair
Forba - from Celtic meaning headstrong
Gavina - white hawk
Grizel - fighting in darkness
Heather - a type of flower; It also means good luck
Ina - from Anglo Saxon meaning home or to entertain
Isla - From Islay or Rocky Place
Jaime - Feminine form of James
Jaine - from old Scottish meaning "a little girl that was a gift from God"
Jannet - the Scottish for girls
Keavy - Pretty, gentle
Keitha- Forest
Kenna - meaning Born from the flames
Lesley - Originally from Celtic or Gaelic and comes from a Scottish place name
Macaulay - Righteous
McKinsey - Daughter of the fair one
Maisy - meaning Pearl
Nes - a gentle person
Nessa - another form of Loch Ness Monster
Nessie - from the Loch Ness Monster
Paisley - colorful fabric first produced in Paisley, Scotland
Peigi (pronounced peggy) Pearl
Shannon -Originally from Celtic meaning old, wise
Sheena - God is Grace
Sine - (pronounced She-na) God is merciful
Slaine (pronounced Slaw-na) Healthy
Tara - From Celtic meaning hill, star or savior
Tammy - meaning twin, sweet
Teagan - originally from Welsh, meaning pretty, fair
Teasag - (pronounced Chaw-sag) means God is merciful
Tyra - from Old Norse meaning light, deity
Vika- meaning from the creek
Wynda - from the narrow passages
Adair - from Gaelic meaning from the oak tree ford
Agan - can be used for a boy or girl meaning beautiful or handsom
Alaister - defender of men
Aklen - Scottish version of Alan
Alec - from the Scottish meaning abbreviation of Alexander; defender of mankind
Angus - From the Shakespeare Play, Macbeth
Avery - place name
Banner - ensign bearer
Barclay - originally a Scottish Surname
Blane - little yellow one
Blair - meaning field of battle
Bowie - yellow haired boy
Boyd - meaning blonde
Broc - like a badger
Brody - refers to the castle Brodie in Scotland
Bruce - Originally a surname
Bryce - from both the Scottish and Celtic
Bryson - a freckled man's son
Cailin - a modern one
Cameron - name of a highland clan meaning crocked nose
Camden - from the winding valley; originally a surname
Camp - Scottish meaning crooked mouth
Campbell - name of a famous Highland Clan
Carson - meaning son of a marsh dweller
Colin - From the Gaelic meaning child or cub
Collin - from the Gaelic meaning People's victory
Conall - means strong wolf in Gaelic
Cormag - Scottish form of Cormac - 3rd century king of Ireland
Craig - A person who lives near a crag
Crichton - originally a surname meaning from the rocky town (girl or boy name)
Clyde - a place name referring to the River Clyde in Scotland
Curra - a hero
Curran - a dagger
Davis - David's son
Donald - From Celtic meaning ruler of all
Dougal - dark stranger
Douglas - from the Scottish meaning black river
Dove - dark and shady
Dow - a dark haired one with a happy heart
Duff - Meaning dark
Dugal - Scottish form of Dougal
Duncan - Scottish royal name and brown warrier
Dunlop - means muddy hilltop
Dun - brown skin soldier
Ellar - Monastery steward
Ervin - a beautiful friend
Erwin - a friend that is beautiful or fresh
Ever - strong as a boar
Ewan - of Irish and Scottish meaning Young
Ewen - one who is of the yew tree
Fang - a pen for sheep
Fergus - Strong and manly
Ferris - one who makes good choices
Finlay - meaning White Warrior
Fletcher - English version of Gaelic name, Mac an Fhleisteir
Fraser- coming from Clan Fraser in the lowlands
Gavin - Means White Hawk
Gawen - bird or hawk used as a weapon
Gibbs - Scottish surname
Gillean - servant of St. John
Glasgow - biggest city in Scotland
Glenn - Gaelic word for valley
Gordan - (or Gorden) untidy and restless
Graham - from English and Scottish origin meaning from the gray home
Grant - meaning great
Greig - dynamic,restless and independent
Grier - means Vigilant
Gus - coolest kid
Hacket - Norman person name
Haddow - a person from Haddo (medieval location in Aberdeen)
Hamil - hill with grass
Harper - English version of an old Gaelic name, Mac a' Chruiteir
Henson -son of Henry
Hogg - Scottish surname
Houston - place name from High's town
Ian - God is gracious
Irvin - from the city
Jackson - God is gracious
Jamie - supplanter
Kade - from the wetlands
Kendric - Royal chieftain
Ken - born of fire
Kennet - Born of fire
Kerk -from the church
Kevin -born of fire
Kin - From the top of the cliff
Kinny - From the top of the cliff
Kirk - Short for Kester, meaning Christ bearer
Kyle - Meaning Church
Lachlan - a person from the land of lakes or lochs
Lennox - a place name and clan name; Lennox the Scottish nobleman is a character in the play MacBeth
Lewis - Meaning Fame and War
Logan - Hollow or Lowland
Lucas - From Lucania
Lyle - From the Island
Macbeth - son of Beth
Mack - meaning son of Flann
Malcolm - Servant of Saint Columba; a royal name in Scotland.
Marcas - from Scottish and Irish, form of Mark
Max - The stream of Mack
Maxwell - The stream of Mack
McCree - Scottish Family Name
McDuff - Family or Surname originally from Gaelic meaning dark
McFadden - Anglicized form of Gaelic
McGill - Both Scottish and Irish in origin
McGregor - son of a shepherd
McGowan - son of the smith
Michael - Like God
Mitch - Like God
Monroe - Surname meaning from the mouth of the roe
Muir - The sea
Munroe - from Ro
Murdock - from the Scottish and Celtic meaning protector of the sea
Murray - from the sea
Neil - Champion
Ness - From the Headland
Norris - From the north
Paton - Royal
Peyton - Royal
Pherson - Parson
Quinn - surname
Ramsey - from Ramsey
Reed - red haired also Redd and Reid
Robert - famous
Ross - common Scottish surname
Rory - Red haired king
Roth, Roy, Royal and Royall all mean red
Scott - a wanderer
Scottie or Scotty - form of Scott
Shaw - terse
Sinclair - From Saint Clair sur Elle
Sloan - Warrior
Stewart - Keeper of the estate
Stuart - a guardian
Tavis - meaning twin
Todd - fox
Tory - from Craggy hills
Tyrone - Island dweller
Wallace - stranger
Watson - common Scottish surname
Some Scotish names may be difficult to pronounce. Please note that exact pronunciation may vary slightly based on regional accents and dialects.
For more information, check out iGaelic
Aberdeen – Scotland’s third most populous city.
Andrews – for St. Andrews, a burgh in east Scotland that is also home to St. Andrews University.
Arran – as in the Isle of Arran.
Cuillin – a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye.
Dunbar - a small coastal town and whose name comes from old Gaelic
Dundee - Scotland's 4th largest city
Edinburgh – the capital city of Scotland.
Embra – slang for Edinburgh.
Glasgow – the largest city in Scotland.
Hamilton - one of the larger cities in Scotland
Iona - Small Island on Scotland's western side
Islay – another Scottish island.
Larbert - a small town whose name dates back to the Dark Ages
Lomond – for Lake Lomond, a freshwater Scottish loch.
Skye – as in the Isle of Skye, a gorgeous island in northwest Scotland. An old castle built in the 13th century
Ale- beer
Bagpipes - a traditional Scottish musical instrument
Bogbean - a Scottish herb used to flavor some ales.
Cricket - another sport played in Scotland
Drambuie - famous Scottish liquor
Fog - Very common weather feature (try Foggie)
Golf - popular sport
Haggis - A traditional Scottish dish
Kelpie - a mythical character known as the Scottish "Water Horse." Probably not appropriate for the Australian Kelpie Dog Breed
Kilt - garment worm by me in the Scottish Highlands
Laddie - name for a boy
Lassie - name for a girl
Leekie - as in Cock a Leekie Soup - traditional soup of chicken stock and leeks
Loch Ness or Nessie
Neeps - Scottish term for rutabaga
Peatie - cute for peat bogs common in Scotland
Porridge - breakfast food made with oats
Quid - an informal name for the Scottish currency
Rugby - popular sport in Scotland
Scones - a traditional scottish pastry
Shortbread - a popular Scottish dessert
Scotch Whiskey - either name would work for a dog
Sterling - The name of Scottish currency
Tartan - Scottish Football team
Tatties (Tattie) - Scottish name for boiled and mashed potatoes
Thistle - Scotland's floral emblem
Alexander Fleming - Discovered Penicillin
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes books
J. M. Barrie wrote Peter Pan
Kenneth Grahame Wrote the Wind in the Willows
Macbeth - 11th Century Scottish Duke and Character in a Shakespeare play
Robert the Bruce - King of Scotland in 1306
Robert Louis Stevenson - writer, poet, known best for Treasure Island and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Rob Roy - the Scottish Robin Hood
Sean Connery - Famous Actor who played James Bond
Sherlock - The character in Arthur Conan Doyle's books.
Spark - from the Scottish novelist, Muriel Spark
William Wallace - known for his role the Scottish Independence
Having lived with dogs and cats most of her life, Janice served as a veterinary technician for ten years in Maryland and twelve years as a Shih Tzu dog breeder in Ohio.
Her education includes undergraduate degrees in Psychology with a minor in biology, Early Childhood Education, and Nursing, and a master's in Mental Health Counseling.
She is a lifelong learner, a dog lover, and passionate about the welfare of animals. Her favorite breed for over 50 years has been the Shih Tzu, but she has also lived with Poodles, Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Beagles, English Bulldogs, Carin Terriers, and a Cocker Spaniel.
When not writing, reading, and researching dog-related topics, she likes to spend time with her eight Shih Tzu dogs, husband, and family, as well as knitting and crocheting. She is also the voice behind Miracle Shih Tzu and Smart-Knit-Crocheting
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