Scottish people

The Scots are an ethnic group and a country that originated in Scotland. Historically, they arose in the early Middle Ages as a result of the union of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and the Gaels, who united to form the Kingdom of Scotland (or Alba) in the 9th century and established the Kingdom of England in the 10th century. As a result of this conquest, the Celtic-speaking Cumbrians of Strathclyde and the Germanic-speaking Angles of north Northumbria became members of the Kingdom of Scotland during the next two centuries. During the High Middle Ages, during the Davidian Revolution of the 12th century, a small number of Norman nobility emigrated to the Lowlands, bringing with them their wealth and power. Scotland gained its independence from Norway in the 13th century, and the Norse people of the Northern Isles did so a few centuries later in the 15th century.

Modern use defines "Scottish people" or "Scots" as anybody who derives his or her genetic or linguistic ancestry from Scotland, regardless of their language, culture, or familial ancestry. The Gaels were initially referred to by the Latin name Scoti, which later came to apply to all of Scotland's population. Some people consider the name Scotch to be derogatory, although it has also been used to refer to Scottish individuals who live mostly outside of Scotland.

People of Scottish heritage may be found in a variety of nations. Because to circumstances such as the Highland and Lowland Clearances, Scottish emigration to different locations around the British Empire, and more recently, the effects of industrial collapse and unemployment, the spread of Scottish languages and culture has been facilitated. Huge numbers of Scottish people immigrated to the 'New World', which included the countries of North and South America as well as Australia and New Zealand. Other than in Scotland, the provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada, the provinces of Otago and Murihiku/Southland in New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom have the biggest concentrations of individuals of Scottish heritage elsewhere in the globe. Canada has the greatest proportion of Scottish descendants per capita in the world, and it has the second-largest number of Scottish descendants behind the United States, making it the global leader in both categories.