NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Scot

Person from Scotland.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2014. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Scot is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Scot popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2014 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4632, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 11 births.

This profile covers 92 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 1996 to 2014. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 27% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 385 living people in the UK are called Scot. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2015 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Scot ranked #4632 for boys in England and Wales in 2014, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1998, when 11 boys were registered as Scot.
  • Scot ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #271 in 1997.
  • About 385 living people in the UK are estimated to have Scot as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4632

2014

Births in 2014

3

Latest year

Peak year

1998

11 births

Estimated living

385

2026

Meaning

What does Scot mean?

The name Scot originates from the Old English word "Scot," which was used to refer to a person from Scotland or someone of Scottish descent. The name has its roots in the Latin word "Scoti," which was used by the Romans to describe the Gaelic-speaking inhabitants of Ireland and later the inhabitants of Scotland.

In the Middle Ages, the term "Scot" was often used interchangeably with the term "Irishman," reflecting the close cultural ties between the two regions. However, over time, the name Scot became more closely associated with Scotland and its people.

The earliest recorded use of the name Scot dates back to the 7th century, when it appeared in the writings of the Venerable Bede, an English monk and scholar. Bede's work, "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," mentions the Scots as people inhabiting the northern part of the island of Britain.

One of the earliest known individuals with the name Scot was Scot of Caledonia, also known as Scot the Wanderer, who lived in the 6th century. He was a Christian missionary and is considered a patron saint of Ulster in Ireland.

In the 9th century, a Scot named Duan Albannach, also known as Duan Scotus, was a renowned Irish monk and scholar who taught at the monastic schools of Liège and Malmesbury. He made significant contributions to the fields of theology and philosophy.

During the 12th century, a Scottish historian and chronicler named Scot of Ancyra, also known as Scot of St. Andrews, wrote an important work titled "Chronica Gentis Scotorum" (Chronicle of the Scottish People), which provided valuable insights into the early history of Scotland.

In the 16th century, Scot of Cupar, also known as Scot of Scotland or Scot the Mathematician, was a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who made notable contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly in the study of algebra and trigonometry.

Another notable individual with the name Scot was Michael Scot, a Scottish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 13th century. He was known for his translations of works by Aristotle and other ancient Greek philosophers, as well as his contributions to the fields of astrology and alchemy.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Scot over time

The chart below shows babies named Scot registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2014. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Scot, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2014, compared with 11 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Scot
036811199620052014

Decades

Scot by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Scot was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2010s #4655 9 3
2000s #2203 47 7
1990s #1398 36 4

Geography

Where Scot is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Scot. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Scot ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #271 in 1997.

Scotland
5
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Scot in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#482 in 2010

35 years of NRS records, 298 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#271 in 1997

1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Scot

  • Scot Bennett

    association football player

    English association football player (born 1990)

    1990-

  • Scot Williams

    actor

    English actor

    1972-

  • Scot Gemmill

    association football player; association football coach

    Scottish footballer (born 1971)

    1971-

  • Scot Young

    businessperson

    British businesses man

    1962-2014

  • Scot Symon

    association football player; association football coach; cricketer

    Scottish footballer and manager (1911–1985)

    1911-1985

Related

Names similar to Scot

FAQ

Scot: questions and answers

How popular is the name Scot in the UK right now?

In 2014, Scot was ranked #4632 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Scot most popular?

The peak year on record was 1998, with 11 babies registered as Scot in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Scot?

Person from Scotland.

How many people are called Scot in the UK?

A total of 92 babies have been registered as Scot across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 298 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Scot most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Scot ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #271 in 1997. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.