Scott Name Meaning (Origin, Popularity & Nicknames)

What Does Scott Mean?

Scott originated as an English name for boys, meaning “from Scotland” or “Scotsman.” It also means “wanderer” and “painted face.” Scott can derive from the Old English Scottas, first referring to “an Irishman” or a “Gael from Scotland.”

The Latin “scoti” means “Gaelic speaker,” while Scott also relates to the Latin “scutum,” meaning “(The man with) the shield.” In Old French, Scott may also describe either a “scout” or a “spy.”

What Is the Origin of the Name Scott?

Scott began as an English term for someone “from Scotland,” also known as a “Scot.” It got its alternative definition of “painted warrior” due to the Scottish army painting their faces blue when battling the English in the 12th-century.

The Old English Scottas once referred to “inhabitants of Ireland” as a derivation from the Latin Scotti. The Scotti clan were said to be Irish invaders who once ruled the northwest of Britain. The Scott clan also became one of the most common surnames in Scottish history. One of the first people to have a name associated with Scott was Uchtredus filius Scoti in the 12th-century.

Scott is a stand-alone name sometimes considered a variation of Prescott, meaning “priest’s cottage” in English.

How Popular Is the Name Scott?

Scott’s popularity has declined in the U.S., but still ranked 588th a few years back. Scott became a popular name for boys in the U.S. in the mid-20th century, mainly due to the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.

It peaked for American boys in 1971 at number 10 and continued to rule throughout the 1980s. Scott fell to 520th for U.S. boys in 2018, although ranked 73rd in Ireland for boys in 2015.

How Do I Pronounce Scott?

Scott is pronounced “SKOHT” in English.

Is Scott a Boy or Girl Name?

Scott is technically a unisex name but is overwhelmingly used by boys. It’s only just started to be rarely used by girls.

Variations of Scott

There are only a few ways to be called Scott the world over, and all of them are Celtic:

• Scottas (Celtic)
• Scottea (Celtic)
• Scotto (Celtic)
• Skot (Celtic)
• Skott (Celtic)

Nicknames for Scott

Some very inventive nicknames for Scott exist, such as.

• Scooter
• Scotivis
• Scottee
• Scottey
• Scotti
• Scottie
• Scottimus
• Scotty
• Scotus

Similar Names to Scott

If you like the ring of Scott, try out some of these like-minded alternatives:

• Alfred
• Alistair
• Archer
• Brendan
• Calvin
• Donald
• Ethan
• Evan
• Flynn
• Franklin
• Gavin
• Harris
• Hugo
• Keith
• Leonard
• Liam
• Logan
• Lucas
• Mitchell
• Ryan

Middle Names for Scott

Scott is easily paired with several middle names, many of which are Gaelic in origin:

• Arthur
• Bryan
• Caleb
• Cameron
• Connor
• Declan
• Dominic
• Elliott
• Everett
• Gabriel
• Glenn
• Griffin
• Harrison
• Henry
• Oliver
• Orion
• Patrick
• Theodore
• Vincent
• Zachary

Sibling Names for Scott

History favors many of these traditional sibling names for a little boy named Scott:

• Bonnie
• Britt
• Brock
• Bruce
• Caley
• Colette
• Daniel
• Dean
• Elyse
• Eugene
• Hilda
• Joan
• Kent
• Kurt
• Leland
• Marilyn
• Mick
• Penny
• Silas
• Zelda

Famous People Named Scott

Here are just some of the famous men named Scott who did something special with their lives:

• Scott Baio: American actor known for the series “Charles in Charge.”
• Scott Brownlee: New Zealand rower at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
• Scott Clifton: American actor appearing in “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
• Scott Fellows: American producer who created the children’s show “Big Time Rush.”
• Scott Maslen: English actor in the BBC soap opera “EastEnders.”
• Scott Moir: Canadian ice dancer and 2018 Olympic champion.
• Scott Niedermayer: Canadian ice hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks.
• Scott Norwood: American football player for the Buffalo Bills.
• Scott Owen: Australian musician for the band The Living End.
• Scott Raynor: American drummer for the band Blink-182.
• Scott Schenkel: Former American CEO of eBay.
• Scott Shannon: American radio DJ for “The Sean Hannity Show.”
• Scott Speed: American race car driver in Formula One.
• Scott Spiegel: American screenwriter who co-wrote “Evil Dead II.”
• Scott Stringer: American politician and the 44th New York City Comptroller.
• Scott Thompson: Canadian member of the Canadian comedy troupe “The Kids in the Hall.”
• Scott Travis: American drummer for the band Judas Priest.
• Scott Willis: Member of the New Zealand Parliament.
• Scott Wilson: American actor known for “In Cold Blood.”
• Scott Wozniak: American gamer and creator of the Scott the Woz video game web series.

Scott in Popular Culture

Scott is quite popular in everything from film and TV to animated shows and video games:

• Corporeal Scott Riley: Character from the video game Call of Duty: United Offensive.
• Scott: Character from the role-playing video game Pokémon Emerald.
• Scott: Character from the series “Total Drama: Revenge of the Island.”
• Scott: Character in the animated series “Ninjago.”
• Scott: Character taken from the TV series and graphic novel “Heroes.”
• Scott Bardo: Character appearing in the web series “Zombie College.”
• Scott Bernard: Character name from the “Robotech” TV series.
• Scott Calvin: Main character in “The Santa Clause” (1994).
• Scott Denoga: Character appearing in the animated series “Hailey’s On It!”
• Scott Drinkwell: Character from the English soap opera “Hollyoaks.”
• Scott Howard: Michael J. Fox’s character in “Teen Wolf” (1985).
• Scott Lang: Name of the Marvel superhero, otherwise known as the “Ant-Man.”
• Scott Malkinson: Character from the animated TV series “South Park.”
• Scott Reed: Character appearing in the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.”
• Scott Robinson: Character from the Australian soap opera “Neighbours.”
• Scott Scanlon: Character in the TV series “Beverly Hills 90210.”
• Scott Summers: Leader of the “X-Men” from Marvel Comics.
• Scott Tenorman: Character name in the animated series “South Park.”
• Scott “Tracker” Cameron: Character from the series “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”
• Scott Tracy: Character from the English TV series “Thunderbirds.”

Scott FAQs

There are still a few things to discover about the boy’s name Scott:

Is Scott a Viking Name?

Scott is considered both a Scottish and English boy’s name, although its derivations end up in the Latin language of late antiquity. Scott first referred to a Scotsman or someone who spoke Gaelic as the Old English Scotti.

Scott was originally a broad term used by the Romans to denote Gaelic raiders who traveled from Ireland. It isn’t technically Nordic but does link to the Old Norse “skot,” meaning “that which is thrown or cast” (which sounds very Viking-like).

Is Scott a Good Dog Name?

According to Rover.com, Scott is one of the most popular names for a Labrador Retriever dog. Other choices include Banx, Cashew, Cadbury, and Castiel. Overall, Scott isn’t high up on the list of U.S. dog names, but if you’ve got a Scottish Terrier or Scottish Deerhound, Scott may be the best choice for you.