Scotland
An old English surname transferred to a given name, denoting land beyond or north of the English country.
Name Census estimates that about 884 living Americans carry the first name Scotland. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 70.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Scotland today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Scotland births was 2024 (102 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Scotland. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
884
~ 1 in 387,731 Americans
Peak year
2024
102 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,181
Tracked since 1975
Census
Scotland in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 630 people with the first name Scotland, which placed it at #17,487 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#17,487
National first-name rank
People counted
630
630 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scotland
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Scotland is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Scotland described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Scotland at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 465
- Black or African American10.5% · 66
- Two or more races7.1% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Scotland
Scotland is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 893 total registrations, 260 (29.1%) were male and 633 (70.9%) were female.
Scotland as a male name
- Ranked #6,107 in 2024
- 15 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (15 births)
Scotland as a female name
- Ranked #2,181 in 2024
- 87 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (87 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Scotland on both sides of the split. Of the 624 people counted with this name, 269 were male (43.1%) and 355 were female (56.9%).
Popularity
Scotland: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Scotland from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 344 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Scotland by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Scotland during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Scotlands live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Utah, Texas recorded the most babies named Scotland, while Ohio, Florida, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Scotland
The given name Scotland has an intriguing origin rooted in the ancient Celtic languages. It is derived from the Gaelic word "Scotti," referring to the people who inhabited the northern part of the island of Great Britain known as Caledonia during the Roman era. This name gained prominence as a result of the cultural and linguistic influence of the Scots, who emerged as a distinct ethnic group in the early medieval period.
The earliest recorded use of the name Scotland can be traced back to the 6th century CE, when it appeared in various historical chronicles and annals written by medieval scribes and scholars. These accounts often mentioned the "Scotti" people and their interactions with other kingdoms and tribes in the region.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the name Scotland was King Áedán mac Gabráin (574-609 CE), a renowned ruler of the Kingdom of Dál Riata, which encompassed parts of modern-day Scotland and Northern Ireland. His reign was marked by successful military campaigns against the Angles and Britons, solidifying the power and influence of the Scotti people.
Another prominent figure was Saint Columba (521-597 CE), an Irish monk and missionary who played a crucial role in the spread of Christianity among the Scots and Picts. He established the influential monastery on the island of Iona, which became a center of learning and religious study for centuries.
In the 9th century, Kenneth I (810-858 CE), known as the first King of Scots, united the Picts and Scots into a single kingdom, laying the foundation for the eventual unification of Scotland as a nation. His legacy as a unifier and the establishment of a distinct Scottish identity contributed to the enduring significance of the name.
During the High Middle Ages, the name Scotland gained further recognition with figures like William Wallace (1270-1305 CE), a celebrated Scottish knight and leader of the Scottish resistance against English rule. His defiant struggle for Scottish independence became a symbol of national pride and inspired generations to come.
Robert the Bruce (1274-1329 CE), another iconic figure in Scottish history, led the successful Scottish Wars of Independence against English domination. His decisive victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 cemented his place in history and further solidified the association of the name Scotland with the nation's struggle for sovereignty.
Throughout the centuries, the name Scotland has continued to resonate with individuals of Scottish descent or those inspired by the rich history and cultural heritage of the Scottish people. Its enduring presence serves as a testament to the resilience and pride of a nation that has left an indelible mark on the world.
People
Scotland + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Scotland as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Scotland: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Scotland?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 884 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Scotland going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 387,731 US residents.
Is Scotland a common name?
We classify Scotland as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 893 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Scotland most popular?
The single biggest year for Scotland was 2024, when 102 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Scotland is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Scotland in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 630 people with the name Scotland, or 0.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,487 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Scotland in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Scotland?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Scotland on both sides of the split. Of the 624 people counted with this name, 269 were male (43.1%) and 355 were female (56.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Scotland?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Scotland is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Scotland most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Scotland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (465 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Scotland in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Scotland a female name?
Yes, 70.9% of people registered as Scotland in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Scotland still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Scotland in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Scotland can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Scotland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.