Scott


Select Scott Surname Genealogy

Scoti was the generic name given by the Romans to Gaelic raiders from Ireland.  The Gaelic word was Sgaothaich, from which came the word Scotland.  The name Uchtredius filius Scoti (Uchtred, the son of a Scot) was recorded in a document in 1128.  The name Scott in Scotland subsequently came to describe Gaelic speakers in the English-speaking Lowlands.  The surname is prevalent in Scotland and is also to be found in England.

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Scotland.  The Scotts were numerous there from early times (six Scott lairds signed the Ragman Roll in 1296 recognizing the English king) and they emerged as among the most powerful of the Border families.  The Scotts of Buccleuch trace their descent from Sir Richard le Scot in the 14th century, the Scotts of Balweary (and the subsidiary Scotts of Harden line) from his brother Sir Michael.  Walter Scott of Harden, known as "Auld Wat," was the most well-known of the Scott Border freebooters.  The writer Sir Walter Scott of Abbotsford, the son of a lowly tenant farmer, was related to these Harden Scotts and wrote much about their exploits.

The pacification of the Borders in the 17th century meant the end of the freebooting "reiving" way of life. The Scotts of Buccleuch were ennobled as Dukes and prospered (they are one of the largest landowners in Scotland).  But many Scotts left the Borders, either for plantations in Ireland or for work in Glasgow and elsewhere.

A separate Scott clan, the Scotts of Scotstarvet from Fife, moved north to the Shetland isles.  In 1814 Sir Walter Scott the writer dined with John Scott of this clan from Scalloway. 

Ireland.  Displaced Scotts from the Borders went to Ulster and in particular to Fermanagh.  Later many of these Scots Irish Scotts decamped for America.  Hugh Scott - who came to Chester county, Pennsylvania in the 1670's - was probably the first of these emigrants.

England.  Scott in England would describe someone from Scotland.   It was to be found in the border counties, in Yorkshire, along eastern England, and there were pockets with that name as well in Dorset and Devon. 

A Scott family apparently from Scotland (the first of the line was said to be Baliol le Scot) held a manor house near Smeeth in Kent in the 13th century.  Their family lineage has been traced with more certainty from the early 1400's when they lived at Scot's Hall.  These Scotts were a prominent family in Kent and remained at Scot's Hall until 1808 when the old mansion was pulled down.

America.  A story about the first Scotts in America goes as follows:

"The American Buckelews are descended from a Scottish Border clan the Scotts, barons of Buccleuch.  Two brothers, Francis and Gilbert Scott of the clan of Buccleuch, came to America on the ship Caledonia about 1664.  They dropped the surname Scott and kept the clan name, changing the spelling to Bucklew."

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Sir Walter Scott was a famed border reiver of the 16th century, known as "the bold Buccleuch."
Sir Walter Scott was the celebrated historical novelist and poet who did much to revive Scottish culture and heritage in the early 19th century.
Sir George Scott was a leading English architect of the Victorian age, best known for his design of the Albert Memorial.
Robert Scott led the doomed expedition to be the first to reach the North Pole.
George C. Scott was an American actor, best known for his portayal of General Patton.

Select Scotts Today
  • 134,000 in the UK (most numerous in Hertfordshire)
  • 130,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
  • 117,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada)
Scott is the #10 ranked surname in Scotland.


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