by Eleanor Nickerson, British Baby Names
Racing ahead of the rest of the UK when it comes to timely releasing its data, this week, Scotland published its full list of Scottish baby names registered in 2018.
Sticking with tradition, the Top 5 saw little change. Olivia remained in the #1 spot for the third year running, and Jack –determined not not be bested – has been at #1 since 2008.
Though many names closely match choices in the rest of the English-speaking world, there is a distinctly Scottish flavour in the likes of Rory/Ruaridh, Finlay, Brodie, Arran, Angus, Hamish, Fraser, Murray, Innes, Callan, Eilidh, Skye, Iona and Cara.
Aila – Pronounced EYE-la, just like Scottish-island favourite Isla, Aila is a traditional Scandinavian name which derives from Helga. Scotland has long standing historic links with Scandinavian (especially thanks to their proximity) so this could be one reason for its entering the Scottish Top 100, but Aila is also purported to mean “from the strong place” in Scottish Gaelic (via an association with the Gaelic word ail meaning “stone, rock”). Furthermore, Aila is very similar to Ayla, which has been in the Scottish Top 100 since 2011. Though Ayla, too, is traditionally pronounced EYE-la, some in Scotland are opting for AY-la for both Aila and Ayla.
Lena / Louis – The most recent royal babies have had a clear impact on Scottish baby names last year. Louis, despite ranking in the Top 100 of England for over two decades, only ranked in the Scottish Top 100 from 2000-2008 and never got higher than #69. It since has been languishing below, but thanks to little Prince Louis, it has risen in the ranks once again.Lena Tindall – born just under two months after Prince Louis – has also sparked a Scottish revival of her name. Lena rose sharply in Scotland from 2007, peaking at #95 in 2014. Afterwards, it swiftly declined but has now seen a huge increase of 62 places back to #91.
Lyle – In the rest of Britain, old-school Lyle barely ranks above the Top 1000, but in Scotland it has just made its Top 100 debut. Lyle is an Norman-introduced English surname from del isle “from the island,” or Lille in France, but its success in Scotland most likely is due to its being a traditional Scottish clan name, from the same source.
Rowan – While Rowan is predominantly masculine in England, and especially Wales, Scotland much prefers it for girls. There, it ranks #91, having risen 50 places; for boys it is #156. Another example of this gender-natural UK divide can be seen in Quinn (#95 for girls and #172 for boys in Scotland), which is also more commonly used for boys elsewhere in the UK.
Nova/Reeva – Riding on the coat tails of popular Ava, Eva, Cora and Nina, astronomically-inspired Nova has risen 88 places to #113, just ripe to break into the Top 100 in 2019. The similarly styled Reeva rose 56 places to #208, having not seen any use as a given name in Scotland before 2007. The catalyst for this name’s huge rise was the high-profile death of South African model Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, proving that sound really is key to a name’s success.
Odin / Thor – With Freya at #13, perhaps it isn’t surprising that Scots are looking to other gods from the Norse pantheon. Odin rose 120 places to #232 and Thor rose 706 places to #595.
Vaila – Unlike Isla, Iona, Skye, Harris and Arran, sweet little Vaila has been a relatively overlooked Scottish-island name in recent decades. Derived from an Old Norse name, Valey, possibly meaning “Celt island, battlefield island” or “mighty island,” this pretty Shetland island is now gaining more attention, rising 123 places to #286.
Speaking of V place names, one little Scottish girl received the name Veyatie – as in Loch Veyatie in north-west Scotland – last year.
Other Scottish baby names that made notable gains in 2018 include: Albie, Archibald, Chester, Cillian, Kylo, Miller, Alex (g), Ariella, Norah, Remi and Winter/Wynter.
Below is a rundown of the official Top 100 names in Scotland in 2018:
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5
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7
9
10
11
11
13
14
14
16
17
18
19
20
21
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50
50
50
53
54
54
56
56
58
59
60
60
62
63
64
64
64
67
68
69
70
71
71
73
74
75
76
77
77
79
80
81
82
82
82
85
85
85
85
89
89
89
92
93
93
95
95
97
97
97
100
Jack
Oliver
James
Logan
Leo
Lewis
Alexander
Harris
Noah
Rory
Charlie
Harry
Lucas
Jacob
Thomas
Alfie
Archie
Max
Finlay
Finn
Adam
Daniel
Ethan
Mason
Brodie
Joshua
Theo
Cameron
Oscar
Hunter
Aaron
Callum
William
Liam
Matthew
Jaxon
Harrison
Freddie
Ollie
Jamie
Caleb
Nathan
Luke
Muhammad
Jude
Arthur
Arran
Luca
Angus
Carter
Connor
Dylan
George
Blake
Robert
Arlo
Samuel
Hamish
Jackson
Cole
Ryan
Andrew
David
Fraser
Joseph
Kai
Isaac
Michael
Reuben
Leon
Aidan
Benjamin
Blair
Riley
Ben
John
Josh
Murray
Sam
Grayson
Cooper
Callan
Elijah
Jake
Alex
Innes
Louis
Ruaridh
Owen
Tommy
Tyler
Henry
Elliot
Lyle
Jayden
Kayden
Aiden
Frankie
Gabriel
Jax
+1
+4
-2
+1
-3
+7
+3
-1
+3
-1
+5
-5
+2
+6
-7
+5
+1
+3
-6
+7
+5
+1
-5
+1
38
-16
+2
+0
+8
-7
+7
-2
+7
+2
-4
-13
-8
-7
+43
+12
+54
-2
+19
-1
+2
+2
+1
+13
+5
-18
+5
+1
-6
-10
-12
-8
+9
-3
+1
-22
-2
+8
+6
+12
-16
+4
-27
+4
-13
+5
-2
+6
+41
-28
+39
+50
+10
+19
+4
+23
-14
-16
+47
-5
+5
-12
+37
-15
+9
-26
+45
+19
-15
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78
81
82
83
84
84
86
87
87
89
89
91
91
91
91
95
95
95
95
95
95
Olivia
Emily
Isla
Sophie
Amelia
Ella
Ava
Grace
Aria
Jessica
Charlotte
Sophia
Freya
Lucy
Lily
Evie
Harper
Ellie
Eilidh
Mia
Millie
Anna
Emma
Ruby
Maisie
Rosie
Georgia
Eva
Chloe
Poppy
Orla
Holly
Hannah
Erin
Willow
Ivy
Mila
Esme
Layla
Sofia
Isabella
Robyn
Sienna
Skye
Zara
Alice
Maya
Emilia
Daisy
Katie
Niamh
Amber
Rose
Molly
Zoe
Abigail
Iona
Leah
Hallie
Thea
Gracie
Lilly
Hollie
Imogen
Cara
Ayla
Cora
Elsie
Bella
Phoebe
Summer
Ada
Bonnie
Julia
Amelie
Brooke
Matilda
Callie
Maria
Piper
Darcy
Luna
Lola
Aila
Lexi
Rebecca
Hope
Penelope
Kayla
Rowan
Clara
Georgie
Lena
Sadie
Aurora
Eden
Florence
Nina
Quinn
Violet
+2
+5
+1
-4
-2
+4
+1
-3
-3
+1
-3
+2
+3
-1
+4
+1
+5
+5
+14
+10
-3
-7
-1
-4
-1
-14
+11
+22
+15
+8
-6
+3
-6
+8
-9
-6
-8
-3
+1
-7
-10
+9
-14
+12
+1
-7
-3
+26
+12
-3
+5
-11
+7
+16
+29
-4
+62
+3
-5
-12
+77
+67
+15
+45
+13
+1
+10
-10
+41
+22
-4
+5
+31
-31
-23
+14
+1
+26
+50
+7
+5
+62
-6
+1
+40
+8
-1
+13
-7
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