Mapped: the geographical origins of Scotland's most common surnames

Scotland has a long and eventful history stretching back centuries. Yet Scottish surnames are far more recent. Until the 12th century, most Scots did not have surnames. It was only with King David I’s decision to give large amounts of Scottish land to Norman nobles that the Norman tradition of surnames came into fashion.

Where your Scottish name comes from

Choosing a surname was somewhat haphazard in Scotland. You could be the son of somebody (Robertson, Johnston) or adopt the Gaelic variation of ‘Mac’ rather than ‘son’ (MacDonald, MacLeod, MacKenzie).

You might also take the surname from the nobles who owned the land you worked on, or from the dominant chieftain in your area.

Some chose to be named after their occupation (Shearer, Smith, Taylor) or perhaps after a colour (Brown, Black, Gray). For example Reid, the Scots word for ‘red’, is a common Scottish surname which is indicative of Scotland having a higher-than-normal percentage of redheads.

Stewart, one of Scotlands most popular surnames, comes from the Highland fault line, just north of Stirling.

In the Highlands and Borders of Scotland, the clan system established dominant families with tartans, mottoes, gatherings and weddings, giving centuries of business to grateful kilt makers.

Finally, Scotland has a long tradition of place names becoming first names or surnames (Murray, Angus Hamilton). These are 20 of the most common Scottish surnames and whereabouts in the country they come from.