RENFREWSHIRE'S very own Hollywood action man, Gerald Butler, is the world’s most 'Googled' Scot, it has been revealed.
Butler, who hails from Paisley, is joined in the top three by fellow movie star Karen Gillan and tennis ace Sir Andy Murray.
Data provider Semrush analysed Google search trends for famous Scots from the worlds of film and television, music, sports and even politics over four years from January 2016 to January this year.
They looked at searches from around the world and also in Scotland to discover the most popularly Googled personalities and also those whose stars are rising fastest at home and worldwide.
Action hero Butler, 50, tops the global list, averaging more than one million searches per month throughout the four-year period.
He is just ahead of top-ranked female Gillan, 32, who has taken Hollywood by storm in recent years.
Former Wimbledon champion Murray, 32, is third, despite being forced out of the limelight by hip injuries for long periods.
He is still the most Googled personality in Scotland, however, averaging nearly 90,000 searches per month north of the Border alone.
Murray, from Dunblane, Perthshire, tops the Scottish rankings ahead of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and singer Lewis Capaldi, who is placed 14th on the global list.
Capaldi, 23, who topped the charts with the song Someone You Loved, is by far the world’s fastest rising Scot, however, after going from unknown teenager in 2016 to global fame last year.
DJ Calvin Harris, Outlander actor Sam Heughan and singer Susan Boyle all appear high up the Scottish and global lists, while comedians Sir Billy Connolly and Kevin Bridges, as well as footballers Kieran Tierney and Scott Brown, were popular searches only in Scotland.
Search trends of more than 120 famous Scots suggest that the original James Bond actor, 89-year-old Sir Sean Connery, remains popular around the world, despite not featuring on screen in a movie since The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003.
Meanwhile, Elderslie actor Richard Madden, star of BBC drama Bodyguard, is also riding high on the global list in 12th place.
Olga Andrienko, head of global marketing at Semrush, said: “From our analysis, it’s clear to see famous Scots are making waves across the globe, with millions of searches not only in Scotland but also from the furthest corners of the world.
“It’s a pleasant surprise to see Gerard Butler is now the most-searched-for Scot globally, nudging out some of the world’s most enduring Scottish favourites, including the iconic Sir Sean Connery.”
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