Irish and Scottish Names Worth Knowing
5 names in this list
Five Celtic-language names stand out in Namewise's seed catalogue: Isla, Hamish, Siobhán, Cian and Rowan — spanning Scotland and Ireland.
- 1Isla
A Scottish river name now popular across the whole UK.
- 2Siobhán
A true Irish classic, sharing its meaning with Joan.
- 3Hamish
The anglicised Scottish Gaelic form of James.
- 4Cian
A short, historic Irish name on the rise outside Ireland.
- 5Rowan
Irish-rooted and unisex, doubling as the name of the rowan tree.
Methodology
Every name in Namewise's seed catalogue with a documented Irish or Scottish origin, in editorial order. A genuine top 10 requires more catalogue coverage than Sprint 1 provides — see docs/next-sprints.md.
Frequently asked questions
Why aren't there 10 names on this list?
Namewise's Sprint 1 seed catalogue only contains 20 names in total. Rather than pad the list with names that don't fit the category, we show every genuine match and disclose the catalogue size.