Like other areas of Scots-speaking Scotland, the dialect here has traditionally been known as Scots or Scotch. However, because this region covers the greater part of the Borders the dialect is also commonly called Borders Scots, or even just Borders. Southern Scots is both a main dialect and sub dialect at the same time, with no other divisions.

Sometimes Southern Scots has been called the yow and mey dialect because of the different vowel sounds its speakers make in comparison with the other dialects of Scots.