A surname "commoner in Northumberland than in Scotland" (Weekley, p. 287). "As Scotus as much meant a Gael as Flandrensis meant a Fleming or Galweiensis a native of Galloway, the great Border clan of Scott must have been settlers from beyond the Forth" (Robertson, Scotland under her early kings, I, p. 290). The first of the name recorded, Uchtred filius Scot, bears however a good English name (Uhtred). He appears as witness in an inquisition of Earl David, c. 1124 (REG., p. 7), and appears again as witness to the foundation charter of Selkirk, c. 1120 (Kelso, I). Henricus de (read 'le') Scotte witnessed a charter by Earl David, c. 1195-8 (LAC., II). Magister Isaac Scotus witnessed charters by Roger, bishop of St. Andrews, a. 1202 (RAA., I, p. 102,103). On the death of David, earl of Huntington in 1219, "he was succeeded by his surviving son, afterwards known by the name of John the Scot Earl of Chester" (Hailes, I, p. 175). Ade le Scot held a croft in the vill of Golyn, c. 1221 (Dryburgh, 22), and John le Escot was burgess of Berwick in 1263 (Bain, I, 2337). Allsaundre Scot of Perthayk, Lanarkshire, Henry le Scot, burgess of Edinburgh, John le Scot, burgess of Haddington, Michael le Scot of Linlithgowshire, Wautier le Scot of Peeblesshire, and Wautier le Scot of Edinburghshire, were among those who rendered homage in 1296 (Bain, II, p. 197,199, 204,205, 213). Richard le Scot of Murthoxton, who also rendered homage in 1296, appears to have been the first ancestor of the ducal house of Buccleuch of whom there is any definite record. Michael Lescot of Fife who agreed to serve Edward I of England in foreign service in 1297 is mentioned again as Michael le Scot (ibid., p. 243-244). The Scots became 'of Balwearie' only by marriage with the heiress of the estate between 1260-80 (Brown, Michael Scot, p. 9). Michael Scot, 'the wizard,' was most likely born somewhere in the valley of the Tweed (ibid., p. 9). Robert dictus Scot was bailie of the burgh of Dundee, 1348 (RAA., I, 22), and Willelmus Scot de Balweary attested the marches of Kyrknes and Louchor, 1395 (RPSA., p. 5). Sir John Scot purchased Tarvet from Alexander Inglis in 1611, and in 1612 his lands in Fife were incorporated as the barony of Scotstarvet. Most of the trade of Lithuania in the eighteenth century was in the hands of Scotsmen and in the language of the country sätas, the ordinary word for peddler, is derived from 'Scot' through the German Schotte. Scoit 1603, Scoitt 1600, Scotte 1641, Scoyt 1623.

(Anglo-Celt.) orig. Irishman; later Scotchman [Old English Scottas (pl.), Irish; later Scotch; Latin Scoti (first appearing in the 4th cent. in Amm. Marcellinus, who fought in Gaul). The etymology has, of course, been much discussed; but it is almost certain that Isidore of Seville was right in saying (6th cent.) that the Scotti were so named from their habit of what we now call tattooing the body, in which case the connexion is evidently with EnglishIrish scoth-aim (mod. Irish sgath-aim), I cut, lop, Gaelic sgath, to cut, lop, and Welsh ysgwthr, a cutting or carving, a lop; cognate with Greek skházō (σχάζω), I cut, and English scathe] Scotti propria lingua nomen habent a picto corpore, eo quod aculeis ferreis cum atramento variarum figurarum stigmate adnotentur.—Isidorus, Etymologiœ, IX. ii. 103.

And þrie Scottas cómon tó Ælfrede cyninge on ánum báte bútan ǽlcum geréþrum of Hibernia.

(And three Scots came to King Ælfred in a boat, without any oars, from Ireland).— A.-Saxon Chron., A.D. 891.

Scotta leóda, and scip flotan, fǽge feóllon.

(The soldiers of the Scots, and the shipmen, doomed fell).—‘Song of Brunanburh,’11-12; Anglo-Saxon Chron., A.D. 937.

Mid Scottum ic wæs, and mid Peohtum (With the Scots I was, and with the Picts).—Wídsíð (The Traveller), 159.

Mil o vluydyned oed oet Crist pan diffeithuyt Dulyn y gan yr Yscoteit.

(1000 was the year of Christ when Dublin was laid waste by the Scots).—Brut y Tywysogion, A.D. 1000.

Scot was used by Chaucer as a horsename— This Reve sat upon a ful good stot, That was al pomely grey and highte Scot.—Prol. Cant. Tales, 615-16.

Noe, Douglas, quoth Erle Percy then, Thy proffer I doe scorne; I will not yeelde to any Scott That ever yett was borne.-‘Chevy Chase’ (more modern ballad), 153-6; Percy’s Reliques.

Scot le Garzun.—Patent Rolls, A.D. 1235.

Roger le Scot.—Hund. Rolls, A.D. 1274.

Adam Skotte [a relic of the Old Norse spelling Skotar, Scots].—Yorks Poll-Tax, A.D. 1379.

One of the most numerous of British names in Ireland, it is mainly found in Ulster and Dublin. MIF 282*

(English) One who came from Scotland; originally, the word also included the Irish, i.e., one who came from Ireland.

This ranks among the most prevalent of British surnames, almost sixty ceoats of arms being assigned to it, while the London Directory shows about 200 traders in the metropolis so denominated. In records of early date, it is usually written Le Scot, implying a native of Scotland. Now, as the tendency of North Britons to ' come south ' is proverbial, we do not wonder at the commonness of the name in England; but why many families who never lived out of Scotland should be called Scott, is not so readily explained. The Duke of Buccleuch, the head of the surname in that country, traces his pedigree to Richard le Scot, of Murdieston, co. Lanark, one of the Scottish barons, who swore fealty to our Edward I., 1296. The name exists in records of earlier date, but the claim set up by some zealous genealogists for a Norman extraction has no foundation. M. de Gerville remarks :-"It is somewhat curious that this Duke [of Buccleuch] seeks for his name in Normandy, and pretends that the original appellation was I'Escott!" Mem. Soc. Ant. Normandie, 1825.

A native of Scotland. Skot, signifies a dart. The family are descended from Uchtredus Scot, 1128.

A native of Scotland. Nennius uses both Scythœ and Scotti indifferently. Strabo considers Scythœ and Nomades synonymous terms. The original word in Ossian is Scuta, which literally signifies "restless wanderer,"hence the propriety of the name Scuite or Scot.

From the Old Norse, Skati, Skotti; nickname (a ghost). from the German, Schotte; from the Dutch, Schot; from the French, Scotti; from the Swedish ,from the Danish, Skotte; personal name Jordan Scot in Rotuli de Oblatis et Finibus, King John

Scott. —Irregularly scattered over England. Though the Scotts are permanently established in the south coast counties, as in Devon and Kent, and, including the Scutts, in Dorset, their great home is in the counties on either side of the Scottish border, in Northumberland and Cumberland on the one side, and in the counties of Berwick, Roxburgh, and Dumfries, on the other side, and they are also numerous in southern Scotland south of the Forth and the Clyde.

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.