Scottish first names, 1974–2024
Random name generator
First names on this page come from National Records of Scotland statistics on births registered in Scotland from 1974 to 2024. That period holds 1,323,306 girls across 3,624 distinct names and 1,446,922 boys across 2,493 distinct names. The three most common names were for girls: Emma, Laura, Sarah; for boys: David, James, Andrew. Names are picked in proportion to how often they were given, and last names come from the National Records of Scotland surname list for 2024, so the mix looks like real Scottish full names.
More options — middle names, no repeats, realism, seed
1 gives real frequencies. 0 makes every name equally likely.
Real frequencies versus equal chance
Weighted by real frequency
Every name equally likely
Both lists use the same seed and the same names. The left list follows how often each name was really given, so common names repeat. The right list ignores frequency, which is how many simple generators work.
What the data says
- About 1 in 8 girls born from 1974 to 2024 got one of just 10 names. Those 10 names hold 12.7% of all recorded girls.
- Names for girls behave like 463 equally common names out of 3,624 in use (effective number of names).
- The average girl's name has 5.7 letters.
- About 1 in 5 boys born from 1974 to 2024 got one of just 10 names. Those 10 names hold 19.2% of all recorded boys.
- Names for boys behave like 243 equally common names out of 2,493 in use (effective number of names).
- The average boy's name has 5.5 letters.
- Fastest riser for girls: Harper, from 150 births in 2005 to 2014 to 1,621 in 2015 to 2024.
- Biggest fall for girls: Shannon, from 488 births in 2005 to 2014 to 32 in 2015 to 2024.
- Fastest riser for boys: Grayson, from 53 births in 2005 to 2014 to 688 in 2015 to 2024.
- Biggest fall for boys: Kenzie, from 611 births in 2005 to 2014 to 80 in 2015 to 2024.
Girls: Top 20 names
| # | Name | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emma | 24,229 | 1.83% |
| 2 | Laura | 21,253 | 1.61% |
| 3 | Sarah | 17,866 | 1.35% |
| 4 | Claire | 16,973 | 1.28% |
| 5 | Nicola | 15,963 | 1.21% |
| 6 | Jennifer | 15,389 | 1.16% |
| 7 | Sophie | 15,152 | 1.15% |
| 8 | Amy | 14,321 | 1.08% |
| 9 | Rebecca | 13,665 | 1.03% |
| 10 | Lauren | 13,634 | 1.03% |
| 11 | Louise | 13,345 | 1.01% |
| 12 | Chloe | 13,041 | 0.99% |
| 13 | Kirsty | 13,033 | 0.98% |
| 14 | Emily | 12,931 | 0.98% |
| 15 | Lisa | 12,583 | 0.95% |
| 16 | Rachel | 11,577 | 0.87% |
| 17 | Lucy | 11,317 | 0.86% |
| 18 | Hannah | 11,235 | 0.85% |
| 19 | Fiona | 10,569 | 0.80% |
| 20 | Olivia | 10,205 | 0.77% |
Boys: Top 20 names
| # | Name | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David | 40,647 | 2.81% |
| 2 | James | 35,432 | 2.45% |
| 3 | Andrew | 32,437 | 2.24% |
| 4 | John | 29,127 | 2.01% |
| 5 | Christopher | 26,818 | 1.85% |
| 6 | Scott | 25,817 | 1.78% |
| 7 | Michael | 23,705 | 1.64% |
| 8 | Craig | 21,948 | 1.52% |
| 9 | Ryan | 21,174 | 1.46% |
| 10 | Paul | 21,097 | 1.46% |
| 11 | Steven | 20,022 | 1.38% |
| 12 | Jack | 19,957 | 1.38% |
| 13 | Mark | 19,821 | 1.37% |
| 14 | Ross | 18,909 | 1.31% |
| 15 | Robert | 18,734 | 1.29% |
| 16 | Daniel | 18,726 | 1.29% |
| 17 | Lewis | 17,934 | 1.24% |
| 18 | Jamie | 17,086 | 1.18% |
| 19 | William | 16,725 | 1.16% |
| 20 | Thomas | 16,630 | 1.15% |
Girls: 2005 to 2014 → 2015 to 2024
Rising fastest
- Harper 150 → 1,621
- Ada 61 → 633
- Luna 56 → 560
- Aria 215 → 2,025
- Harlow 40 → 344
Falling fastest
- Shannon 488 → 32
- Gemma 416 → 30
- Courtney 464 → 48
- Jodie 302 → 32
- Natasha 364 → 40
Boys: 2005 to 2014 → 2015 to 2024
Rising fastest
- Grayson 53 → 688
- Arlo 86 → 1,079
- Hudson 49 → 543
- Jax 60 → 619
- Parker 75 → 458
Falling fastest
- Kenzie 611 → 80
- Mackenzie 376 → 53
- Brandon 728 → 127
- Lee 591 → 107
- Shaun 501 → 94
Questions and answers
What was the most common girl's name from 1974 to 2024?
Emma. 24,229 girls received it, 1.83% of all recorded girls born from 1974 to 2024.
What was the most common boy's name from 1974 to 2024?
David. 40,647 boys received it, 2.81% of all recorded boys born from 1974 to 2024.
How concentrated are names from 1974 to 2024?
Among girls the 10 most common names cover 12.7% of births; among boys 19.2%. In this period boys' names were the more concentrated set.
Which names grew fastest compared with 2005 to 2014?
Among names with at least 300 births in 2015 to 2024, the biggest gains were for girls, Harper (150 births in 2005 to 2014, 1,621 in 2015 to 2024); for boys, Grayson (53 births in 2005 to 2014, 688 in 2015 to 2024).
How long is the average first name from 1974 to 2024?
Weighted by how often each name was given: 5.7 letters for girls, 5.5 letters for boys.