List of place names of Scottish origin in the United States facts for kids
Have you ever noticed how some towns and cities in the United States have names that sound a bit like places in Scotland? That's because many Scottish people moved to the U.S. over the years. They brought their culture and their place names with them! This article explores some of these interesting connections.
Many Scottish place names come from words describing nature. For example, Brae means "hillside" or "river-bank." Burgh (sometimes spelled Burg) means "city" or "town." You'll see these words in many Scottish-sounding places across America.
Scottish Names Across the USA
Alabama
- Douglas
- Inverness (meaning "mouth of the River Ness" in Scotland)
- Lauderdale County
Alaska
Arizona
California
- Albany
- Ben Lomond (named after a famous Scottish mountain)
- Inverness
- Irvine
- Millbrae (combines "mill" with the Scottish "brae" for hillside)
- Scotia (another name for Scotland)
- Sunny Brae
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
- Georgetown
- Glasgow (named after Scotland's largest city)
- Milton
Florida
- Aberdeen
- Dundee
- Dunedin (comes from Dun Eideann, which is Scottish Gaelic for Edinburgh, Scotland's capital)
- Fort Lauderdale
- Inverness
- Paisley
Georgia
- Albany
- Argyle (an older spelling of Argyll, a region in Scotland)
- Clyde (like the River Clyde in Scotland)
- Culloden (named after a famous battle in Scottish history)
- Darien (linked to the Darien scheme, a Scottish attempt to create a colony in Panama)
- Douglas
- Fort Stewart
- Glasgow
- Hamilton
- McIntosh County
- Scotland
Idaho
Illinois
- Albany
- Bannockburn (named after a famous Scottish battle)
- Dundee Township
- Elgin (named after a Scottish hymn)
- Glasgow
- Glencoe (like the famous glen in Scotland)
- Inverness
Indiana
- Aberdeen
- Ayrshire (named after a county in Scotland)
- Burns City (likely after the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns)
- Caledonia (an old Roman name for Scotland)
- Edinburgh (named after Scotland's capital city)
- Glasgow
- Perth (named after a city in Scotland)
- Scotland
- Scottsburg
Iowa
- Argyle
- Ayrshire
- Caledonia
- Dundee
- Elgin
- Glasgow
- Kinross (named after a county in Scotland)
- Melrose
- Ossian (named after a legendary Scottish poet)
- Scotland
- Scotch Grove
Kansas
- Athol (named after Atholl, a region in Scotland)
- Logan County
- Scott County
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
- Aberdeen
- Chevy Chase (named after a famous Scottish ballad)
- Glen Burnie
- Glencoe
- Highland
- Loch Lynn Heights (Loch is the Scottish word for lake)
- Midlothian (named after a historic county in Scotland)
- Muirkirk (named after a village in Scotland)
- Scotland
Massachusetts
- Alford
- Athol (named after Atholl, a region in Scotland)
- Charlestown
- Douglas
- Greenfield
- Lenox (named after Lennox, a historic district in Scotland)
- Lynn
- Melrose
- Middleton
- Milton
- Sterling
Michigan
- Alba (an old Gaelic name for Scotland)
- Ayr (named after a town in Scotland)
- Caledonia
- Dundee
- Glencoe
- Highland
- Inverness Township
- Kinross
- Montrose
- Sterling
- Stirlingville (named after Stirling, a city in Scotland)
Minnesota
- Albany
- Annandale (named after a valley in Scotland)
- Caledonia
- Dundee
- Edina (a poetic name for Edinburgh)
- Elgin
- Glencoe
- Montrose
Mississippi
Missouri
- Alba
- Albany
- Caledonia
- Cameron
- Fulton
- Glasgow
- Glencoe
- Kirkwood
- Mansfield
- Melrose
- Montrose
- Scotland
- Scott City
Montana
- Fergus County
- Glasgow
- Glendive
- Hamilton
- Inverness
- Livingston
- Lake McDonald (named after a Scottish explorer)
Nebraska
Nevada
- Belmont
- Bonnie Claire
- Elgin
- Hamilton
- Kingston
- Mount Charleston
- Mount Stirling
New Hampshire
- Albany
- Charlestown
- Dalton
- Dunbarton (named after Dumbarton in Scotland)
- Glen
- Greenfield
- Kingston
- Littleton
- Lochmere
- Milton
- Scotland
- Stewartstown
New Jersey
- Aberdeen Township
- Annandale
- Bridgeton
- Clifton
- Dunellen
- Edinburg
- Flemington
- Glen Ridge
- Highland Park
- Kingston
- Kirkwood
- Livingston
- Loch Arbour
- Milton
- Perth Amboy (partly named after the Earl of Perth)
- Rutherford
- Scotch Plains
- Scotland Run
- Stirling
New Mexico
- Glenrio (combines the Scottish "glen" with the Spanish "rio" for river)
- Glenwood
- Hope
- Kingston
- Melrose
New York
- Albany (ultimately from Alba, the Gaelic name for Scotland)
- Argyle
- Arrochar (named after a village in Scotland)
- Caledonia
- Dundee
- Edinburg
- Elgin
- Fulton
- Glen
- Glendale
- Glenwood
- Hamilton
- Highland
- Jamestown (named for King James I of England, who was also James VI of Scotland)
- Kirkwood
- Livingston
- Loch Sheldrake
- Melrose
- Milton
- Monroe
- Montrose
- New Scotland
- Perth
- Scotia
- Scotland
- Scottsville
- Selkirk (named after a town in Scotland)
- Sterling
- Stirling
- Waverly
North Carolina
- Aberdeen
- Clyde
- Cumnock (named after a town in Scotland)
- Davidson
- Glencoe
- Highlands
- Roxboro
- Rutherfordton
- Scotland County
- Wallace
North Dakota
- Abercrombie
- Ayr
- Bathgate
- Buchanan
- Elgin
- Fingal ("Fingal" is the Scottish form of the legendary hero Finn MacCool)
- Glen Ullin
- Hamilton
- Leith (named after a port in Scotland)
- Perth
Ohio
- Aberdeen
- Albany
- Alexandria
- Arlington
- Avon
- Bannock
- Caledonia
- Cameron
- Cheviot
- Clifton
- Clyde
- Dundee
- Elgin
- Glasgow
- Glencoe
- Hamilton
- Highland
- Houston
- Jamestown
- Kingston
- Kirkwood
- Logan
- Mansfield
- Melrose
- Milton Center
- Monroe
- Montrose
- Murray City
- New Albany
- Oakley
- Ross
- Scotland
- Sterling
- Waverly
- Weston
- Whitehall
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
- Alba
- Albany
- Alexandria
- Armstrong County
- Avon
- Ayr Township
- Belmont
- Berwick
- Blair County
- Bloomfield
- Carnegie (named after Andrew Carnegie, a famous Scottish-American businessman)
- Crawford County
- Dallas
- Dalton
- Dunbar
- Dunmore
- Edinboro (like Edinburgh)
- Elgin
- Flemington
- Fulton County
- Glasgow
- Glen Campbell
- Glen Lyon
- Glenside
- Glenwood
- Gordon
- Hamilton Township
- Highland Park
- Houston
- Jamestown
- Kingston
- Kirkwood
- Lanark
- Lawrence County
- Linwood
- Lock Haven
- Mansfield
- McClure
- McDonald
- McKees Rocks
- McKeesport
- McMurray
- Mercer
- Milroy
- Monroe County
- Montgomery
- Montrose
- Morton
- New Albany
- Newton Hamilton
- Patton
- Pitcairn
- Red Lion
- Renfrew (named after a town in Scotland)
- Ross Township
- Roxborough
- Rutherford
- Scotia
- Scotland
- Scottdale
- Simpson
- Smithton
- Spring Garden
- Summerhill
- Upland
- Wilson
Rhode Island
- Blackrock
- Charlestown
- Glendale
- Jamestown
- Kingston
- Middletown
- Riverside
South Carolina
South Dakota
- Aberdeen
- Alexandria
- Arlington
- Avon
- Brown County
- Campbell County
- Dallas
- Douglas County
- Eden
- Fulton
- Hecla (named after a mountain in Scotland)
- Lennox
- Mansfield
- McIntosh
- Milltown
- Monroe
- Montrose
- Mount Vernon
- Scotland
- Wallace
- Waverly
Tennessee
- Adams
- Arlington
- Burns
- Charleston
- Clifton
- Crawford
- Davidson County
- Dunlap
- Fulton
- Greenfield
- Houston
- Jamestown
- Kingston
- Knoxville
- Livingston
- McKenzie
- Rutherford
- Scott County
- Waverly
Texas
- Abernathy
- Albany
- Argyle
- Bowie
- Camden
- Cameron
- Crawford
- Dallas
- Douglas
- Edinburg
- Elgin
- Glenn Heights
- Gordon
- Graham
- Highlands
- Houston
- Kyle
- Lanark
- Livingston
- McAllen
- McGregor
- McKinney
- Midlothian
- Montrose
- Scotland
- Scottsville
Utah
- Alton
- Alta
- Altamont
- Glendale
- Highland
- Logan (named after Scottish trapper Peter Skene Ogden)
- Oakley
- Sterling
Vermont
Virginia
- Airlie
- Alanton
- Alexandria
- Annandale
- Avon
- Belmont
- Caledonia
- Campbell
- Ceres
- Chester
- Church Hill
- Clifton
- Covington
- Cullen
- Dumbarton (named after Dumbarton in Scotland)
- Dumfries (named after a town in Scotland)
- Dundee
- Edinburg
- Ettrick (named after a valley in Scotland)
- Fincastle
- Glasgow
- Gretna
- Hamilton
- Highland
- Huntly
- Jamestown (named for King James I of England, formerly James VI of Scots)
- Kilmarnock (named after a town in Scotland)
- Kingston
- Midlothian
- Monroe
- Mount Vernon
- Orkney Springs (named after the Orkney Islands in Scotland)
- Perth
- Preston
- Reston
- Rosslyn
- Ruther Glen
- Scotchtown
- Scotland
- Scott County
- Scottsburg
- Sterling
- Sutherland
- Wallace
- Waverly
Washington
- Aberdeen
- Blaine
- Douglas
- Elgin
- Fife (named after a county in Scotland)
- Graham
- Kelso
- McMillan
- McNeil Island
- Monroe
West Virginia
Wisconsin
- Albany
- Allenton
- Angus
- Argyle
- Arlington
- Avon
- Belmont
- Blaine
- Blair
- Bruce
- Burns
- Caledonia
- Cameron
- Campbell
- Camp Douglas
- Carnegie
- Chester(s)
- Clayton
- Clifton
- Clyde
- Crawford County
- Dallas
- Dalton
- Douglas
- Drummond
- Dunbar
- Dundee
- Elcho (named after the Earl of Wemyss and March)
- Ettrick
- Fulton
- Galloway
- Glen Haven
- Glencoe
- Glendale
- Glenwood
- Gordon
- Grant
- Greenfield
- Greenwood
- Hamilton
- Highland
- Hunter
- Irvine
- Kingston
- Lamont
- Lanark
- Lennox
- Leslie
- Lewis
- Livingston
- Lynn
- Lyons
- Marshall
- McFarland
- McKinley
- McMillan
- Melrose
- Middleton
- Milltown
- Milton
- Monroe
- Montrose
- Mount Sterling
- Mount Vernon
- Oakley
- Ross
- Scott
- Springfield
- Stanley
- Sterling
- Sutherland
- Waverly
- Westfield
- Weston
Wyoming
See also
- List of Scottish place names in Canada
- List of Scottish place names in other countries
- Scottish place names in Australia
- Scottish place names in New Zealand
- List of non-US places that have a US place named after them
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List of place names of Scottish origin in the United States Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.