Irish surnames that are actually Scottish include Campbell, Stewart, Johnston, Boyd, Kerr, Hamilton, MacDonnell, MacSweeney and McKeown, names that crossed the North Channel with medieval mercenaries or 17th-century Plantation settlers. In 1890, the five most common surnames on the County Antrim births index were Smith, Johnston, Stewart, Wilson and Thompson, according to the Registrar General’s report on Irish surnames. The traffic ran both ways: Kelly, Docherty, Murphy and Boyle are now firmly in Scotland’s top 110 surnames.
This guide is part of our Scottish Names collection. Browse the Scottish Names directory, or start with our Scots-Irish surnames guide for the Plantation families in depth.
This is written for anyone who has been told their surname is Irish by one side of the family and Scottish by the other, and suspects both are half right. Below you get a checker that gives a verdict for 41 names, the official counts on each side, how the names crossed, and the clues that tell you which way your own name went.
The short version: names crossed the water in three waves. Scottish soldiers, the gallowglasses, went to Ireland from the 13th century; Lowland and Border settlers poured into Ulster between 1606 and 1641; and Irish workers came to Scotland’s coalfields and iron towns in the 19th century. In Coatbridge, Irish-born people made up 35.8 per cent of the population in the 1851 census, per Wikipedia on the Coatbridge Irish. Each wave left its own set of surnames, which is why the same name can be a clan, a planter and an immigrant depending on whose family you ask.
Two Scots Abroad · Scottish names
Irish or Scottish surname checker
41 surnames that cross the North Channel. Search your surname to see whether it started in Scotland, in Ireland, or on both sides, how it crossed, and where it is common now.
Nothing matches that. Clear a filter or try a shorter search.
Which Irish surnames are actually Scottish?
Most of the big Plantation names in Ulster are Scottish, and so are a cluster of Mac names that came over as hired soldiers. Robert Matheson, compiling the Registrar General’s report on Irish surnames, picked out Stewart, Campbell, Scott, Miller, McKenzie, Ross, McKay, Paterson, Fraser, Morrison, Cameron, McIntosh, McGregor, Kerr, Graham, Sinclair and Gordon as examples of the very frequent Scotch names in Ulster. His county tables for 1890 births show how deep they ran:
| County (1890) | Names of mainly Scottish origin in the county’s top list (births) |
|---|---|
| Antrim | Johnston 126, Stewart 126, Campbell 96*, Boyd 81, Scott 66, Graham 64, Kerr 60, Hamilton 50 |
| Down | Campbell 45*, Graham 34, Johnston 34, Hamilton 28, Scott 27, Boyd 25 |
| Armagh | Campbell 42*, Johnston 25 |
| Tyrone | Campbell 32*, Hamilton 23 |
| Londonderry | Campbell 33* |
| Fermanagh | Johnston 22, Elliott 13, Irvine 13 |
Now flip it. Scotland’s most common surnames for 2025, which count every surname on the birth, marriage and death registers, include a solid block of Irish names:
| Irish surname | Rank in Scotland, 2025 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly | 32 | 454 |
| Murphy | 51 | 330 |
| Docherty | 77 | 243 |
| Boyle | 103 | 198 |
| Reilly | 106= | 189 |
| Gallagher | 112= | 186 |
| Quinn | 115= | 184 |
| O’Neill | 123= | 172 |
| Gallacher | 142 | 160 |
Kelly at 32nd puts it ahead of Kerr, Johnston and Wallace in Scotland. Coatbridge is the extreme case: a 2006 report found that more than 28 per cent of adults there had surnames of Irish origin.
How the names crossed the North Channel
| Wave | When | Direction | Surnames it left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallowglass soldiers | First recorded 1259; through the 1500s | Scotland to Ireland | MacSweeney, MacDonnell, MacSheehy, MacDowell, MacCabe |
| Medieval lordships | 1200s to 1500s | Scotland to Ireland | McKeown (the Bissetts), MacDonnell of the Glens |
| Plantation of Ulster | 1606 to 1641 | Scotland to Ulster | Stewart, Johnston, Hamilton, Montgomery, Cunningham, Boyd, Kerr |
| Irish migration | 19th century | Ireland to Scotland | Kelly, Docherty, Boyle, Gallacher, Reilly, Quinn |
The gallowglasses are the part most people miss. They were heavily armed fighters from the west coast of Scotland, mainly Argyll and the Western Isles, hired by Irish lords and paid in land. The first record of gallowglass service is 1259, when a King of Connacht received 160 Scottish warriors as a dowry. Their families stayed, and their Scottish clan names became some of the most Irish-sounding names in Ireland.
To tell which side your name came from, use these clues in order:
- O’ at the front: almost certainly Irish. There is no Scottish O’.
- A Highland clan name with Mac: MacSweeney, MacDonnell, MacDowell, MacCabe, MacSheehy and MacNeill in Ireland usually mean a gallowglass or medieval Scottish family.
- A Lowland or Border place name: Johnston, Hamilton, Crawford, Maxwell, Irvine and Logan point to Plantation settlers.
- The same name, two meanings: Campbell, Murray, Kennedy, McLaughlin, Moore and Morrison each have a separate Irish and Scottish origin. Here the county your family came from settles it, not the spelling.
Scottish surnames that came to Ireland as soldiers
MacSweeney
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: son of Suibhne (well-going). In Ireland: Gallowglass captains to the O’Donnells in Donegal; branches in Cork. In Scotland: Sweeney 203rd equal in Scotland in 2025; MacSween survives in Scotland.
Woulfe traces the family to Suibhne, lord of Knapdale in Argyll in the early 1200s. His grandson Murchadh is the first of the name in the Irish annals, in 1267, and the family settled in Donegal as captains of gallowglasses to the O’Donnells, splitting into three septs. In Scotland the same name survives as MacSween. Full entry: Woulfe on Mac Suibhne.
MacDonnell
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: son of Domhnall (world-mighty). In Ireland: Glens of Antrim from about 1520; gallowglass families across Ireland. In Scotland: Macdonald 12th and McDonald 25th in Scotland in 2025.
Many MacDonalds, the clan of the Lords of the Isles, went to Ireland as gallowglass leaders in the 14th and 15th centuries, and through John Mor’s marriage to the heiress of MacEoin Bissett the family gained the Glens of Antrim, settling there for good around 1520. Woulfe says most Irish MacDonnells belong to this Scottish line. Our Scottish Gaelic surnames guide has the Scottish side.
MacCabe
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: son of Caba, perhaps a cap or hood. In Ireland: Gallowglasses to the O’Rourkes and O’Reillys; still numerous in Leitrim and Cavan. In Scotland: McCabe 210th in Scotland in 2025.
The MacCabes came from the Hebrides, of Norse origin and, according to Woulfe, a branch of the MacLeods. They served the O’Rourkes and O’Reillys as gallowglass captains and first appear in the annals in 1358. They are still numerous in Leitrim and Cavan. For the Norse roots of Hebridean names, see our Scottish Norse last names.
MacSheehy
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: son of Sitheach (peaceful). In Ireland: Gallowglasses in Sligo and, from 1420, Limerick; now almost peculiar to Munster. In Scotland: Rare in Scotland.
A branch of the Scottish MacDonnells, descended from Sitheach, which Woulfe glosses as peaceful. That is an odd name for a family famous as hired soldiers. First in the annals in 1367, they settled in County Limerick as constables to the Earl of Desmond from 1420, and the name is now almost confined to Munster.
MacDowell
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: son of Dubhghall (dark stranger). In Ireland: Gallowglass captains in Roscommon and the north and west. In Scotland: McDougall 273rd equal, McDowall 374th equal in Scotland in 2025.
Son of Dubhghall, the dark stranger, a name the Irish gave to the Danes. The MacDougalls were lords of Lorne and, like the MacDonalds, descended from Somerled. Some came to Ireland as gallowglass captains and settled in Roscommon and elsewhere in the north and west, where MacDowell became the usual spelling.
McKeown
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: son of Eoin (John). In Ireland: Glens of Antrim from the 1200s. In Scotland: 475th equal in Scotland in 2025.
An Irish surname with a Scottish family inside it. According to Woulfe, Mac Eoin was taken by a branch of the Bissetts, a Scottish family that settled in the Glens of Antrim in the 1200s. The trap: the same English spellings also come from the unrelated Irish name Mac Eoghain.
Plantation surnames that look Irish now
Stewart
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: a steward. In Ireland: 126 births in Antrim in 1890, joint 2nd in the county. In Scotland: 6th in Scotland in 2025 (991).
The top Plantation name. It was joint second in County Antrim in 1890 with 126 births, and Matheson used it as his first example of Scottish names in Ulster. The name means a steward, and the royal Stewarts took it from the hereditary office. More in our Scottish royal last names.
Johnston
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: from the lands of Johnstone in Annandale. In Ireland: Antrim 126, Down 34, Armagh 25, Fermanagh 22 births in 1890. In Scotland: 37th in Scotland in 2025; Johnstone 76th.
From the lands of Johnstone in Annandale, first recorded with Gilbert, son of Jon, after 1194. The Johnstones were one of the most powerful Border reiver families, and after the 1603 Union of the Crowns many Borderers went to Ulster. In 1890 Johnston was in the top list of four Ulster counties.
Hamilton
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: probably from Hamilton in Leicestershire. In Ireland: Antrim 50, Down 28, Tyrone 23 births in 1890. In Scotland: 29th in Scotland in 2025.
Probably from Hamilton in Leicestershire, established in Lanarkshire in the 1200s. Sir George Hamilton and two brothers were granted land in Strabane barony in 1610, and the Earl of Abercorn, a Hamilton, founded the town of Strabane. Fifty Antrim births in 1890.
Kerr
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: a fort (caer), or wet brushwood ground (kerr). In Ireland: 60 births in Antrim in 1890. In Scotland: 33rd in Scotland in 2025.
The meaning is disputed: either a fort, from Cumbric caer, or wet brushwood ground. The origin is not: Kerr is a Scottish name, on Matheson’s list of Scottish names frequent in Ulster, with 60 Antrim births in 1890 and 449 occurrences in Scotland in 2025. See our Scottish surnames beginning with K.
Boyd
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: fair or yellow (buidhe), or from Bute. In Ireland: Antrim 81, Down 25 births in 1890. In Scotland: 106th equal in Scotland in 2025.
Probably from Gaelic buidhe, fair or yellow, or from Bute. Even Padraig Mac Giolla-Domhnaigh, a 1923 writer who often argued for Irish roots, settled on son of the Buteman, which still points to the Firth of Clyde. There were 81 Boyd births in Antrim in 1890.
Craig
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: a steep or precipitous rock. In Ireland: Ulster, especially the north east. In Scotland: 63rd in Scotland in 2025.
From the Scots word craig, a steep rock. This is one Mac Giolla-Domhnaigh disputed: he argued for an Irish Mac Con charraige, linked to Carrick and the Armagh name Rocks. Most sources still call it Scottish, and it was 63rd in Scotland in 2025. Treat his version as a minority view.
Logan
Verdict: Scottish origin. Meaning: probably lagan, a little hollow. In Ireland: On the Ulster-Scots Agency’s common surnames list. In Scotland: 164th equal in Scotland in 2025.
Probably from Scottish Gaelic lagan, a little hollow, according to the clan history. Adam of Logan witnessed a charter of Alexander II in 1236, and Logans did homage to Edward I in 1296. Logan is on the Ulster-Scots Agency’s list of common Ulster-Scots surnames.
Surnames that are both Irish and Scottish
Campbell
Verdict: Both sides. Meaning: crooked mouth (caimbeul); Irish Mac Cathmhaoil, son of Cathmhaol (battle chief). In Ireland: In six of nine Ulster county lists in 1890; a Tyrone family took the name. In Scotland: 5th in Scotland in 2025 (1,027).
The best example on the page. The Scottish name is a Gaelic nickname, caimbeul, crooked mouth. In Tyrone, though, the Mac Cathmhaoil family, son of Cathmhaol (battle chief), also anglicised their name as Campbell, according to Woulfe and Library Ireland. Campbell appears in six of the nine Ulster county lists in 1890. A Campbell from Antrim is probably Scottish; a Campbell from Tyrone could be either. See our Scottish surnames beginning with C.
MacNeill
Verdict: Both sides. Meaning: son of Niall (champion). In Ireland: Antrim and Derry MacNeills probably from the Barra and Gigha clan; another family in Mayo. In Scotland: McNeill 289th equal, McNeil 347th equal in Scotland in 2025.
Son of Niall, champion. Woulfe identifies a Scottish clan on Gigha and Barra, followers of the Lord of the Isles, and says the Antrim and Derry MacNeills probably belong to it. A separate Irish family of the name was seated in Carra, County Mayo.
Kennedy
Verdict: Both sides. Meaning: descendant of Cinnéididh (helmeted head). In Ireland: Ó Cinnéide of Ormond and of Galway. In Scotland: 48th in Scotland in 2025; the Kennedys of Carrick in Ayrshire.
Irish Kennedys are Ó Cinnéide, descendant of Cinnéididh (helmeted head), lords of Ormond in Tipperary, per Woulfe. Scottish Kennedys are a Carrick family from Ayrshire, and the two are unrelated. Kennedy was 48th in Scotland in 2025.
McLaughlin
Verdict: Both sides. Meaning: son of Lochlainn, a name of Norse origin. In Ireland: Donegal 81, Londonderry 68, Tyrone 29 births in 1890. In Scotland: 85th in Scotland in 2025; MacLachlan of Strathlachlan, Argyll.
Irish Mac Lochlainn were the senior branch of the northern Uí Néill, seated in Inishowen (Woulfe). The Scottish MacLachlans held Strathlachlan in Argyll, and Woulfe treats Mac Lachlainn as the Scottish and Ulster form (his entry). Both roots go back to the Norse personal name Lochlainn. McLaughlin was 85th in Scotland in 2025.
Murray
Verdict: Both sides. Meaning: from Moray (sea settlement); or Irish Ó Muireadhaigh. In Ireland: Down 33, Monaghan 17 births in 1890. In Scotland: 10th in Scotland in 2025.
In Scotland, from Moray, sea settlement. In Ireland, usually Ó Muireadhaigh, descendant of Muireadhach, a family name found in Mayo, Roscommon, Westmeath and Cork (Woulfe). Down had 33 Murray births in 1890. Tenth in Scotland in 2025.
Morrison
Verdict: Both sides. Meaning: son of Maurice; also Gaelic Mac Ghille Mhoire and Irish Ó Muirgheasáin. In Ireland: On Matheson’s list of Scottish names in Ulster. In Scotland: 20th in Scotland in 2025.
A Scottish name on Matheson’s Ulster list, and an Irish one too: Ó Muirgheasáin in Ireland, and Mac Ghille Mhoire on Lewis. Woulfe notes that Mac Giolla Mhuire, servant of Mary, was anglicised in Scotland as Morrison and in County Down as Gilmore.
Armstrong
Verdict: Both sides. Meaning: strong arms; in Ireland also son of the strong man. In Ireland: Fermanagh lands granted in the Plantation. In Scotland: 125th equal in Scotland in 2025.
A Border reiver clan, from a Middle English nickname for strong arms. Many Armstrongs were given land in Fermanagh in the Plantation, and in Ireland the name was also used for the Gaelic Mac Thréinfhir, son of the strong man, per its surname history. So a Fermanagh Armstrong is usually Border Scots, but not always.
Irish surnames that are now common in Scotland
Kelly
Verdict: Irish origin. Meaning: descendant of Ceallach (war, contention). In Ireland: 2nd commonest name in Ireland in Matheson’s report. In Scotland: 32nd in Scotland in 2025 (454).
Descendant of Ceallach, war or contention. Woulfe lists several unrelated Kelly families in Ireland, including one in County Derry. Matheson ranked it the second commonest name in Ireland, and it was 32nd in Scotland in 2025.
Docherty
Verdict: Irish origin. Meaning: descendant of Dochartach (hurtful, disobliging). In Ireland: Doherty: Donegal 160, Londonderry 80 births in 1890. In Scotland: Docherty 77th, Doherty 242nd equal in Scotland in 2025.
Ó Dochartaigh, descendant of Dochartach, hurtful or disobliging. The O’Doghertys were lords of Inishowen until their lands went to Sir Arthur Chichester (Woulfe). In 1890 Doherty was second in Donegal and top in Londonderry. In Scotland the spelling Docherty wins easily: 77th in 2025, against 242nd for Doherty.
Gallagher
Verdict: Irish origin. Meaning: descendant of Gallchobhar (foreign help). In Ireland: Donegal’s top name in 1890 (196 births). In Scotland: Gallagher 112th equal and Gallacher 142nd in Scotland in 2025.
Descendant of Gallchobhar, foreign help, marshals of the O’Donnells’ forces (Woulfe). It was the top name in Donegal in 1890, with 196 births. Scotland’s registers use both spellings: Gallagher 112th and Gallacher 142nd in 2025.
Boyle
Verdict: Irish origin. Meaning: descendant of Baoigheall (perhaps vain pledge). In Ireland: 102 births in Donegal in 1890. In Scotland: 103rd in Scotland in 2025 (198).
Ó Baoighill, descendant of Baoigheall, which Woulfe suggests may mean vain pledge (his entry). The O’Boyles gave their name to Boylagh in west Donegal. Boyle was 103rd in Scotland in 2025, with 198 occurrences.
How to work out whether your surname is Irish or Scottish
- Find the county first. A Campbell, Murray or Kennedy from Antrim or Down is more likely Scottish than the same name from Tyrone, Tipperary or Mayo. The 1890 county lists above are a good starting point.
- Look for the O’. If any ancestor wrote it with O’, the name is Irish. Many families dropped it in the 1800s, so check older records.
- Check the church. In Ulster, a Presbyterian family with a Scottish-looking name is very likely Plantation Scots. It is not proof, but it is a strong hint.
- Match the Mac to a clan. If your Mac name is a known Highland clan (Donald, Dougall, Leod, Neill, Sween), look at the gallowglass history before assuming it is native Irish.
- Accept that some names are both. For Campbell, Kennedy and McLaughlin you need your own family tree, not the dictionary.
Watch out for: the Mc and Mac myth. Plenty of people still believe Mc is Irish and Mac is Scottish. It is not a rule on either side of the water; NRS found Mc far more common than Mac on Scotland’s own registers. Spelling tells you about the clerk, not the clan.
For the wider picture, our British surnames guide covers all four nations, the Ulster Scots surnames by county page maps the Plantation families, and our Scots-Irish first names guide covers the Johns and Jeans who carried these surnames.
Quick list: all 41 surnames, Irish or Scottish
| Surname | Verdict | How it crossed | Origin | Meaning | Key count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong | Both sides | Plantation settlers | Middle English, and Irish Mac Thréinfhir | strong arms; in Ireland also son of the strong man | Scotland 2025: 125= |
| Boyd | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Gaelic (disputed) | fair or yellow (buidhe), or from Bute | Antrim 1890: 81; Scotland 2025: 106= |
| Boyle | Irish origin | Irish in Scotland | Irish | descendant of Baoigheall (perhaps vain pledge) | Scotland 2025: 103rd |
| Campbell | Both sides | Two origins or shared | Scottish Gaelic, and Irish Mac Cathmhaoil | crooked mouth (caimbeul); Irish Mac Cathmhaoil, son of Cathmhaol (battle chief) | Antrim 1890: 96; Scotland 2025: 5th |
| Craig | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scots (an Irish origin was argued in 1923) | a steep or precipitous rock | Scotland 2025: 63rd |
| Crawford | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scots and Old English | crow ford | Scotland 2025: 78= |
| Cunningham | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scots | a Scottish surname tied to Ayrshire and the south west | Scotland 2025: 75th |
| Docherty | Irish origin | Irish in Scotland | Irish | descendant of Dochartach (hurtful, disobliging) | Scotland 2025: 77th |
| Elliott | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scots (Border) | origin unclear; the clan appears in the late 1400s | Fermanagh 1890: 13 |
| Gallagher | Irish origin | Irish in Scotland | Irish | descendant of Gallchobhar (foreign help) | Scotland 2025: 112= |
| Gillespie | Both sides | Two origins or shared | Gaelic | son of the bishop’s servant | Scotland 2025: 191= |
| Graham | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Anglo-French | from Grantham in Lincolnshire, probably gravelly homestead | Antrim 1890: 64; Scotland 2025: 22nd |
| Hamilton | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | English place name, Scottish family | probably from Hamilton in Leicestershire | Antrim 1890: 50; Scotland 2025: 29th |
| Irvine | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scots place name | from lands of that name in Dumfriesshire | Fermanagh 1890: 13 |
| Johnston | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scots place name | from the lands of Johnstone in Annandale | Antrim 1890: 126; Scotland 2025: 37th |
| Kelly | Irish origin | Irish in Scotland | Irish | descendant of Ceallach (war, contention) | Scotland 2025: 32nd |
| Kennedy | Both sides | Two origins or shared | Irish, also Scottish | descendant of Cinnéididh (helmeted head) | Scotland 2025: 48th |
| Kerr | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Cumbric or Middle English (disputed) | a fort (caer), or wet brushwood ground (kerr) | Antrim 1890: 60; Scotland 2025: 33rd |
| Logan | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scottish Gaelic | probably lagan, a little hollow | Scotland 2025: 164= |
| MacCabe | Scottish origin | Medieval Gaelic families | Scottish Gaelic (Norse root) | son of Caba, perhaps a cap or hood | Scotland 2025: 210th |
| MacDonnell | Scottish origin | Medieval Gaelic families | Scottish Gaelic | son of Domhnall (world-mighty) | Scotland 2025: Macdonald 12th |
| MacDowell | Scottish origin | Medieval Gaelic families | Scottish Gaelic | son of Dubhghall (dark stranger) | Scotland 2025: McDougall 273= |
| MacLeod | Scottish origin | Medieval Gaelic families | Scottish Gaelic and Norse | son of Leod, from Norse Ljotr (ugly) | Scotland 2025: 45th |
| MacNeill | Both sides | Two origins or shared | Gaelic | son of Niall (champion) | Scotland 2025: McNeill 289= |
| MacSheehy | Scottish origin | Medieval Gaelic families | Scottish Gaelic | son of Sitheach (peaceful) | First in the annals: 1367 |
| MacSweeney | Scottish origin | Medieval Gaelic families | Scottish Gaelic | son of Suibhne (well-going) | Scotland 2025: Sweeney 203= |
| Maxwell | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Old English place name | Mack’s spring or stream, near Melrose | Scotland 2025: 181= |
| McKee | Both sides | Two origins or shared | Gaelic | son of Aodh | Scotland 2025: 458= |
| McKeown | Scottish origin | Medieval Gaelic families | Gaelic, Scottish family | son of Eoin (John) | Scotland 2025: 475= |
| McLaughlin | Both sides | Two origins or shared | Gaelic (Norse root) | son of Lochlainn, a name of Norse origin | Scotland 2025: 85th |
| Montgomery | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Norman French | from Montgommery in Normandy | Scotland 2025: 228= |
| Moore | Both sides | Two origins or shared | English, Irish and Scottish | open land or bog (mor); Irish Ó Mórdha (majestic); Scottish Muir | Scotland 2025: Moore 86th |
| Morrison | Both sides | Two origins or shared | Scots and Gaelic, and Irish | son of Maurice; also Gaelic Mac Ghille Mhoire and Irish Ó Muirgheasáin | Scotland 2025: 20th |
| Murphy | Irish origin | Irish in Scotland | Irish | descendant of Murchadh (sea-warrior) | Scotland 2025: 51st |
| Murray | Both sides | Two origins or shared | Scottish Gaelic and Irish | from Moray (sea settlement); or Irish Ó Muireadhaigh | Scotland 2025: 10th |
| O’Neill | Irish origin | Irish in Scotland | Irish | descendant of Niall (champion) | Scotland 2025: 123= |
| Quinn | Irish origin | Irish in Scotland | Irish | descendant of Conn (head, sense, reason) | Scotland 2025: 115= |
| Reilly | Irish origin | Irish in Scotland | Irish | from Irish Ó Raghallaigh | Scotland 2025: 106= |
| Scott | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scots | a Border name, recorded from the 1100s | Antrim 1890: 66; Scotland 2025: 11th |
| Stewart | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Scots and Gaelic | a steward | Antrim 1890: 126; Scotland 2025: 6th |
| Wallace | Scottish origin | Plantation settlers | Anglo-Norman | Welshman (waleis) | Scotland 2025: 47th |
FAQ about Irish and Scottish surnames
Which Irish surnames are actually Scottish?
Stewart, Johnston, Hamilton, Graham, Kerr, Boyd, Scott, Montgomery, Cunningham and Crawford came with Plantation settlers after 1606. MacDonnell, MacSweeney, MacSheehy, MacDowell and MacCabe came earlier with Scottish gallowglass soldiers. McKeown was taken by the Scottish Bissetts in the Glens of Antrim.
Is Campbell an Irish or Scottish name?
Usually Scottish: it comes from the Gaelic caimbeul, crooked mouth, and is fifth in Scotland. But in County Tyrone an Irish family, Mac Cathmhaoil, also anglicised its name as Campbell, so an Ulster Campbell can be either. Your family’s county is the best clue.
Is Kennedy Irish or Scottish?
Both, and the two families are unrelated. Irish Kennedys are Ó Cinnéide, descendants of Cinnéididh, meaning helmeted head, once lords of Ormond in Tipperary. Scottish Kennedys are a separate Carrick family from Ayrshire. Kennedy was 48th in Scotland’s 2025 registers.
Is McLaughlin Irish or Scottish?
Both. Irish Mac Lochlainn were a senior branch of the northern Uí Néill in Inishowen, Donegal. The Scottish MacLachlans held Strathlachlan in Argyll. Both come from Lochlainn, a personal name of Norse origin. McLaughlin was 85th in Scotland in 2025, and in 1890 it was fifth in Donegal and second in Londonderry.
Why are there so many Irish surnames in Scotland?
Mainly because of 19th-century migration to Scotland’s industrial towns. In Coatbridge, 35.8 per cent of the population was Irish-born in 1851, and a 2006 report found more than 28 per cent of adults there had Irish-origin surnames. Kelly, Murphy, Docherty and Boyle are now in Scotland’s top 110.
Does Mc mean Irish and Mac mean Scottish?
No. Both mean son of, and both spellings are used in Ireland and Scotland. On Scotland’s own registers Mc names outnumber Mac names by about three to one, according to National Records of Scotland. The spelling usually reflects a clerk’s habit, not the family’s nationality.
Final thoughts on Irish surnames that are Scottish
Most of the time the answer to Irish or Scottish is a date. A Mac name in Ireland from before 1600 may well be a Scottish soldier’s family; a Lowland place name in Ulster is very likely a planter; and an O’ name in Glasgow is usually a 19th-century arrival. Get the century right and the nationality usually follows.
If your surname is on the both-sides list, you are in good company, and you are entitled to claim either team at the rugby. For the Scottish clan background behind the Mac names, read our Scottish clan surnames guide.
Sources
- Robert E. Matheson, Special Report on Surnames in Ireland: Ulster counties, births index 1890
- Robert E. Matheson, Scottish names in Ulster
- National Records of Scotland, Most Common Surnames 2025 (published 26 May 2026)
- Wikipedia, Gallowglass
- Ulster-Scots Agency, Discover Ulster-Scots: Surnames in Ulster
- Ulster-Scots Agency, Ulster Scots Surnames workbook
- Wikipedia, Coatbridge Irish
- Rev. Patrick Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923): Mac Suibhne, and the Mac Domhnaill, Mac Síthigh, Mac Dubhghaill, Mac Cába, Mac Eoin, Mac Néill, Mac Lochlainn, Mac Lachlainn, Ó Ceallaigh, Ó Dochartaigh, Ó Gallchobhair, Ó Baoighill, Ó Cinnéide, Ó Muireadhaigh and Mac Giolla Mhuire entries
- Woulfe, Mac Cathmhaoil (Library Ireland)
- Library Ireland, Campbell (Irish and Scottish origin in Ulster)
- Padraig Mac Giolla-Domhnaigh, Some Anglicised Surnames in Ireland (1923): Boyd
- Padraig Mac Giolla-Domhnaigh, Some Anglicised Surnames in Ireland (1923): Craig
- Wikipedia, Kennedy (surname)
- Wikipedia, Clan Logan
- Wikipedia, Armstrong (surname)
