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Scott (surname)

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Scott is a surname of Scottish origin.[1] It is first attributed to Uchtredus filius Scoti who is mentioned in the charter recording the foundation of Holyrood Abbey and Selkirk in 1120, the border Riding clans who settled Peeblesshire in the 10th century and the family lineage of the Duke of Buccleuch.[2]

Etymology and history of the surname

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Auld Wat of Harden by Tom Scott. A romanticized image of notorious border raider and clan member Walter Scott of Harden.

The surname Scott (Scot, Scotts, Scutt, Scotter) as opposed to its earlier unrelated usage first appears in the 12th century and derives from the Anglo-Scottish border and its medieval border clans.[1][3] Scott is one of the twelve most common surnames in Scotland. Clan Scott was one of the most powerful of the Riding clans of the Scottish borders and rose to power in the turbulent, often violent region, where they conducted fierce raids and battles with neighbouring clans.

The surname appears in Kent, England by the 14th century, the family of Scot's Hall being a notable example. Descent is thought to be from Alexander de Balliol or William de Balliol le Scot, brothers of John de Balliol King of Scotland, or from retainers of King David I of Scotland who held lands from the Earl of Huntingdon.[1] By the 17th century the name is first recorded in Ireland as a surname.[3] There is no evidence the surname may have originated with the first Gaelic settlers from Ireland despite its use as a marker for a Gael by the Romans. Moreover, in the medieval period the surname was associated with the Kingdom of Scotland rather than an early Irish medieval Gaelic kingdom Dalriada who did not refer to themselves as such, even though separate sources claim that the name was derived from the Scots who invaded Dalriada (Argyll) from Ireland.[4]

People

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People with the surname

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See also: Scott (given name)

Fictional characters

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c A Dictionary of English Surnames By Percy Hide Reaney, Richard
  2. ^ Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire by Bernard Burke p981
  3. ^ a b The Scottish Surnames of Colonial America by David Dobson p129
  4. ^ "Clan/Family Histories". www.rampantscotland.com. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
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