Scott History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Scotland 
  Ireland 


In the annals of Scottish history, few names go farther back than Scott, whose ancestors go back to the people of the Boernician tribe. The first family to use the name Scott lived in Roxburgh (now part of the region of Borders), Scotland. The surname Scott is of local origin as it denotes one who came from Scotland as in the Scot. The double 't' in Scott is now universal. Other records claim the name was for someone in England, who came to be from Scotland. Pre-dating surnames, the name may have been used for a Gaelic speaker within Scotland, who arrived with the Gaelic Dalriadans from Ireland in around 500 AD.

Early Origins of the Scott family

The surname Scott was first found in Roxburghshire, where a family seat was held on the lands of Ballendan at the head of the Ale water in that county. They descended from Uchtredus Scott who held the lands before 1107; he is on record as a witness to the foundation charter of Selkirk in 1120. Another early record is of Henricus le Scotte, who witnessed a charter by David Earl of Strathearn around 1195. By 1200, this great Clan controlled the borderlands of the Middle Marches of West Teviotdale, Ewesdale, Liddesdale, Buccleuch and Balweariel. 1

Early History of the Scott family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scott research. Another 212 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1450, 1565, 1611, 1644, 1647, 1649, 1661, 1674, 1685, 1693, 1705, 1745, 1771, 1832 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Scott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scott Spelling Variations

Over the years, Scott has been written It appears under these variations because medieval scribes spelled names according to sound rather than by any over-arching set of rules. Scott, Scot, Skotts, Scot, Scotach, Scott, Schotts and many more.

Early Notables of the Scott family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Scott World Ranking

In the United States, the name Scott is the 34th most popular surname with an estimated 460,095 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Scott is ranked the 26th most popular surname with an estimated 51,132 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Scott is the 618th popular surname. 4 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Scott as 177th with 227 people. 5 France ranks Scott as 4,787th with 1,500 - 2,000 people. 6 Australia ranks Scott as 32nd with 47,646 people. 7 New Zealand ranks Scott as 7th with 7,010 people. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Scott as 29th with 107,393 people. 9 South Africa ranks Scott as 487th with 14,695 people. 10

Migration of the Scott family to Ireland

Some of the Scott family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Scott migration to the United States +

When these Boernician-Scottish settlers arrived in North America they brought little with them and often had restart their lives from scratch. Through time, much of their heritage was lost, and it is only this century through Clan societies and highland games that many have recovered their national heritage. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Scott family to immigrate North America:

Scott Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Scott Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Scott Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Scott Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Scott migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Scott Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Scott Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Scott Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Scott Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Scott migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Scott Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Scott migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Scott Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Scott migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 19
Scott Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
Scott Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Scott (post 1700) +


The Scott Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Amo
Motto Translation: I love


Suggested Readings for the name Scott +
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