Although the etymology is not certain, according to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings that accommodated the diplomatic representatives of the Kingdom of Scotland and Scottish kings when they visited English royalty – in effect, the Scottish Embassy, although the institute was not formalized.
It was certainly built and in effect by 1515, as Henry VIII's sister, Margaret Tudor, was lodged there while fleeing from Scotland.

By the 17th century the street housed government buildings and residences for civil servants.
The architects Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren lived there as did the poet John Milton from 1649 to 1651, during the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell's rule.
By the late-18th century the district was associated with prominence and prestige; for example in the 1690s in his satirical A Tale of a Tub, Jonathan Swift claimed the regard of "...my worthy brethren and friends at Will’s Coffee-house, and Gresham College, and Warwick Lane, and Moorfields, and Scotland Yard, and Westminster Hall, and Guildhall; in short, to all inhabitants and retainers whatsoever, either in court, or church, or camp, or city, or country...".

According to the Metropolitan Police Service, the original Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office at 4 Whitehall Place, had a rear entrance on Great Scotland Yard.
An 1862 map of Westminster shows the location.
Over time, Scotland Yard was used generally as a metonym for the police headquarters.

Richard Horwood's 1799 map of London shows Great Scotland Yard on the eastern side Whitehall, opposite The Admiralty.
Below it are two streets that are culs-de-sac: Middle Scotland Yard, where Whitehall Place is today, and Lower Scotland Yard, entered from Middle Scotland Yard.
Lower Scotland Yard was where the War Office building was erected in 1906, but was, according to the 1862 map, renamed Middle Scotland Yard when Whitehall Place, originally a cul-de-sac, took the place of the original Middle Scotland Yard.

The Clarence public house, named after the Duke of Clarence, dates from 1896.
It was attached to the opposite corner of Great Scotland Yard by an archway.
the archway was removed the 1908 redevelopment of Great Scotland Yard and the end of the building was refaced with slightly different coloured bricks.

Since 1953 The Civil Service Club has been based in the Old Fire House at numbers 13–15, and is a social club for current and former members of the UK civil service.
Although the etymology is not certain, according to a 1964 article in The New York Times, the name derives from buildings that accommodated the diplomatic representatives of the Kingdom of Scotland and Scottish kings when they visited English royalty – in effect, the Scottish Embassy, although the institute was not formalized. It was certainly built and in effect by 1515, as Henry VIII's sister, Margaret Tudor, was lodged there while fleeing from Scotland.
By the 17th century the street housed government buildings and residences for civil servants. The architects Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren lived there as did the poet John Milton from 1649 to 1651, during the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell's rule. By the late-18th century the district was associated with prominence and prestige; for example in the 1690s in his satirical A Tale of a Tub, Jonathan Swift claimed the regard of "...my worthy brethren and friends at Will’s Coffee-house, and Gresham College, and Warwick Lane, and Moorfields, and Scotland Yard, and Westminster Hall, and Guildhall; in short, to all inhabitants and retainers whatsoever, either in court, or church, or camp, or city, or country...".
According to the Metropolitan Police Service, the original Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office at 4 Whitehall Place, had a rear entrance on Great Scotland Yard. An 1862 map of Westminster shows the location. Over time, Scotland Yard was used generally as a metonym for the police headquarters.
Richard Horwood's 1799 map of London shows Great Scotland Yard on the eastern side Whitehall, opposite The Admiralty. Below it are two streets that are culs-de-sac: Middle Scotland Yard, where Whitehall Place is today, and Lower Scotland Yard, entered from Middle Scotland Yard. Lower Scotland Yard was where the War Office building was erected in 1906, but was, according to the 1862 map, renamed Middle Scotland Yard when Whitehall Place, originally a cul-de-sac, took the place of the original Middle Scotland Yard.
The Clarence public house, named after the Duke of Clarence, dates from 1896. It was attached to the opposite corner of Great Scotland Yard by an archway. the archway was removed the 1908 redevelopment of Great Scotland Yard and the end of the building was refaced with slightly different coloured bricks.
Since 1953 The Civil Service Club has been based in the Old Fire House at numbers 13–15, and is a social club for current and former members of the UK civil service.
Great Scotland Yard