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This group is for notable figures whose ancestry came directly from Scotland, not those who went from Scotland to Ulster to America.
Notable Scottish Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Large-scale emigration from Scotland to America began in the 1700s, accelerating after the Jacobite rising of 1745, the resulting breakup of the clan structures, and the Highland Clearances. Displaced Scots went in search of a better life and settled in the thirteen colonies, initially around South Carolina and Virginia, and then further in successive generations. Another large wave occurred in the late 1800s as Scots pursued work in American industry.
Today, an estimated 20-25 million Americans have ancestors who came directly to the United States from Scotland. The largest concentrations are found in New England, Appalachia, and the Deep South.
Important note: While Scottish Americans are connected to Scots-Irish/Scotch-Irish Americans, the two groups are not synonymous. This group is for notable figures whose ancestry came directly from Scotland, not those who went from Scotland to Ulster to America.