Getting Personal II

by F.E. McConvey

Published No date

Scottish Names - continued

Scottish Names - continued
CAMPBELL
 cam = crooked + beul = mouth. This family has been traced to the time of Gergus II in the 5th century
CARMICHAEL
 after a barony in Lanarkshire. Descended from William de Carmichael.
CARSON
 son of Carr or Kerr
CHAPMAN
 Shopkeeper, trader
CHRISTIE
 a form of Christopher, Christ's carrier
CLELAND
 after lands in Lanarkshire
COCKBURN
 cock=hill + burn = brook, the hill by the brook. Motto: Accendit Cantu
COOPER
 after the town of Coupar in Fifeshire. Traced back to Simon Cooper, 1296
COWAN
 blacksmith
CRAIG
 rock, crag
CRAWFORD
 cou = bloody + ford = pass. A barony in Lanarkshire.
CRICHTON
 creachton, the castle of plunder. Family traced to William de Crichton, 1246
CUMMING
 From Comeyn and de Comminges. After Comminges in France. The badge of this family is the cumin plant.
DAIZIELL
 "I Dare" was proclaimed by this ancester before he went to rescue the body of his king's kinsman from the Picts.
DAVIDSON
 son of David, beloved
DOW
 black
FALCONER
 Randolph, son of Lenorp, was falconer to William the Lion.
GIBSON
 son of Gib or Gilbert; a contraction of gilbertson.
GOWAN
 daisy
GRANT
 swarthy, grey-headed.
GREENLAW
 green hill
GREIER
 corruption of Gregor. Also written Greer, Grier or Grierson
HALLIDAY
 from the family war cry "a holy day, a holy day"
HANNAY
 leader, chieftain. From the Saxon, hana. Also written Hannah or Achany
HARRIS
 son of Henry, rich lord.
HOLME
 an island meadow
HOLME
 an island meadow
IRVINE
 after town of Irvine in Ayrshire, Originally Iar avon, west river. William de Irwyne was an armour bearer to Robert Bruce. In Northern Ireland this name has become confused with the Irish Erwin taken from OhEireanhoin.
JACK
 corruption of John; God's grace.
KERR
 marsh
LAW
 hill. A short form of Lawrence
LAWRENCE
 flourishing
LAWSON
 son of Law or Lawrence
LAWSON
 son of Law or Lawrence
LESLIE
 after the Castle of Leslymn in Hungary. Bartholomew Leslyn (Leslie), a Hungarian nobleman accompanied Margaret, the wife of Malcolm Canmore to Scotland in 1068. She fell from her horse while crossing a swollen stream. Leslyn managed to grasp her clothing, thereby saving her life. She called out "Grip fast," which became the motto of his descendants.
LOGAN
 an enclosed plain. Sir Robert Logan and Lord James Douglas escorted the heart of Robert Bruce to Palestine in 1329
MacDOWELL
 corruption of MacDOUGALL
MacKENZIE
 son of Kenneth. Originally MacKennie
MacNAB
 son of Nob; top to the mountain
MAXWELL
 after the lands of Macchuswell, now in Dumfrieshire. Descended from Hubery de Maccheswell.
MOFFAT
 after the town in Dumfrieshire
MOWAT
 orginally de Monte Alto. During the time when the Spanish Armanda sailed the northern waters, some of the ships came to grief off the Hebrides. Survivors, among whom was Monte Alto, swam ashore and settled there. Gradualluy become Mowat.
MURRAY
 from a German war tribe called Moravi. They gave their name to the district now known as Moray and Murray.
NISBET
 after lands in Berwickshire. Descendants of Philip de Nesbyth.
PEACOCK
 name given for fondness of display.
POLLOCK
 after the parish in Renfrewshire. Descendants of Petris Pollock.
ROSS
 Robert de Ross married Isabel, daughter of William the Lion.
SINCLAIR
 orginally St. Clare. Waldness. Compte de Sainte Clare came to England with William the Conquerer. His son William de Sancto Claro settled in Scotland.
SMITH
 worker in metals. Also smyth or Smythe
STEWART
 Walter, the grandson of the Thane of Lockabry was made High Steward of Scotland by Malcolm Canmore. Thus decended the families of Stewart and STuart
THOMPSON
 son of Thomas; a twin
WATSON
 son of Walter
WOOD
 orginally de Bosco

Highland names were generally patronymic in orgin, while those from the Lowlands reflected the Norman influence.

For more detailed information and additional names, be sure to read The Origins and Signification of Scottish Surnames with a Vocabulary of Christian Names by Clifford Stanley Sims. 1966.

QUERIES

18. DAVID FOLEY = CATHERINE JANE GORDON. Mar. in late 1820's or 1830's in Antigonish area of NS. CH: JAMES M. (1829?); JOHN A. (1838); MARIA (1839); MARY ?; EDWARD F. (1847); ELIZABETH (1852?); DAVID MORRIS; MARGERET and CATHERINE.

JOHN A. moved to Bangor, ME in 1862. EDWARD F. moved to Chicopee Falls, MA ca 1870, possibly via Cornwall, Ontario. JAMES M. m FLORA GILLES ca 1863 and seems to have remained in NS. Seek any info on this family.

 

 

 

 

Note: In-Laws, Outlaws and Kinfolk articles have been published on this site with the permission of the St. Croix Courier. Special thanks goes to the Courier for allowing me to reprint my mother's articles.