Hugh and Alan le Scot, Normandy 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae).

The surname Scott is a location or nationality name, and is the best-known example of this type of naming in the land. Naturally, one would expect the original bearers of the name to come from Scotland, and this is frequently the case-though the name has always been found most frequently in Northumbria. (A location name was most often given to someone only after he had left his place of origin-and naturally the highest concentration of people of Scottish origins would have occurred in early times just south of the border.) However, by one of the quirks of fate, the first Scots people (long before the origin of the name) came originally from Ireland.

Nowadays, the descendants of these early Hibernian immigrants are mainly found in the Highlands and the Hebrides.

Most lowland Scottish people are of English origin, whereas the inhabitants of the Orkneys and the Shetlands are almost exclusively of Norse descent. This fact is not so surprising when you consider that to this day the nearest railway station to Lerwick, the main town in the Shetland Islands, is Bergen in Norway.

The surname Scott would thus originally have referred to the Gaelic origin of its holder, at least in Scotland. Just south of the border, where the name is most frequent, the name would have simply been given to someone who came from Scotland. However, the name Scott is also numerous all over England, especially in the eastern counties and in the south­west (particularly Devon). Here the original Scots may well have been settlers, or the name may have been given as a nick­name-to someone considered Scottish in appearance or manner. Speculation upon the actual attributes alluded by this nickname lead one into the minefield of racialism-but one can be certain that originally the nickname would not have been sympathetic. In years gone by, rural communities tended to be insular and biased against foreigners (a trait which has not completely vanished), and for many years in previous centuries Scotland was at war with England.

The close names of Scutt and Scotter, which appear in the West Country (almost exclusively in Dorset), are usually of different origin. This is an occupational name of Old French origin, meaning ‘scout’ or ‘spy’. However, here there are oral difficulties. Many of the original Scutts have changed through the years to Scott, and vice versa.

According to the great authority on Scottish names, Black, the surname Scott first appears in the Selkirk records which cover the years around 1124. Here one Uchtred filius Scot is mentioned.

Reginald Scott (1538—99) is credited with the introduction into England of hop-growing and therefore deserves a grateful nod from the nation’s ale fanciers. He was also an author, although his works were not always well received: James I ordered his The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) burned.

The Gothic Revival triumphs of London’s St Pancras Station and the Albert Memorial are the work of the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811—78). Sir George’s grandson, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880—1960), carried on the family’s architectural tradition; his contributions include Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral and the new Waterloo Bridge in London.

Sir Peter Scott (b. 1909), ornithologist son of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, is well known for his paintings of wild fowl and illustrations for wildlife books. He was instrumental in setting up the British Wildfowl Trust at Slimbridge, and is Chairman of the World Wildlife Fund.

Barbara Ann Scott (b. 1928) became the first North American to win a world championship in figure skating. That 1947 victory made her a national heroine in Canada.

Astronaut David R. Scott (b. 1932) commanded the Apollo 15 mission to the moon. He, James Irwin and Alfred Worden were launched on 26 July 1971, and 3 ½ days later landed at the base of the moon’s Apennine Ridge. The team made record-breaking excursions in their lunar roving vehicle, covering 1714 miles (28 km) on three forays and racking up a combined total of 17 hours outside the module. A week after landing on the moon they were back in Houston with a huge cargo of lunar rocks (170 lb-77 kg), having collected an unprecedented amount of valuable scientific data.

The combination of the nation and the explorer have led to exceptional use of this name both for places and for geographic features. Apart from the name Scotland itself, 19 UK towns contain the name. These range from Scotch Corner to Scotton. Canada has 7 name-related places, Australia a Scottsdale and South Africa a Scottburgh. The United States has 25 Scott- related places including a ghost town in Death Valley called Scotty’s Castle, 3 towns called Scott and 2 Scotlands. Name­sake geographic features are widespread.

With about 127,000 namesakes Scott is the 41st most popular surname in England and Wales. There are over 30,000 Scotts in Scotland where it is 9th in popularity. In Ireland it is estimated that with about 9,000, Scott is the 90th most popular surname. The name is notably popular in and around Edinburgh where an estimated one in about 128 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Glasgow, Teesside and Sheffield are other Scott strongholds. Around the world Scotts are most common in Vancouver (one in 425 families), Auckland (one in 464) and Wellington (one in 474). The United States has more Scotts than the entire population of Bristol-an estimated total of just over 429,000 makes this their 36th most popular surname.