The 7 Oldest Scottish Clan Surnames Still in Use Today Origin Meaning Included

The 7 Oldest Scottish Clan Surnames Still in Use Today… (Origin & Meaning Included)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:02 Clan Oliphant
2:18 Clan Ramsay
3:54 Clan Cumming or Comyn
5:54 Clan Graham
6:49 Clan Bruce
7:58 Clan Scott
9:24 Clan Lindsay
11:40 Clan Gordon, Hay, Fraser, Sinclair and Barclay

Is your surname one of the oldest clan names to be used in Scotland? Does it speak to a lineage forged in the rugged wilds of medieval Alba, what does the name mean and what are the origins of the clan in general? Well in this video we will look at the 7 oldest Scottish clan surnames, defined as the earliest appearance in the historical record in Scotland. So references in say English or French records don’t count. To qualify, the surname must still be in use today and be associated with a recognised Scottish clan.

And let me know what your clan surname is in the comments below, mines is MacMillan. Now I should note one important caveat as well: surnames in Scotland were still developing in the 12th century, so these are not always fixed hereditary clan surnames in the modern sense. What we are really ranking is the earliest recognisable form of a later Scottish clan surname, yet you will see how recognisable these actually are which is pretty cool.

7. Oliphant — David Olifard, first recorded in Scotland in 1144
Now the seventh oldest clan surname is actually a less well known one, Oliphant. The first secure Scottish bearer of an early form of this name was David Olifard, with the name spelt various other ways as well - Olifart, Olifant, Olyphant and later Oliphant. David is linked with Scotland from 1141, when tradition says he saved King David I during the Rout of Winchester, and he appears as a witness in Scottish royal charters from 1144.

Now the meaning of the name is debated (Oliphant): it is sometimes connected to an Old French word (olifant) meaning an elephant or ivory horn, though some have linked it to olif, meaning olive. As far as the origins of the clan, the stronger historical line points to an Anglo-Norman family first established in England, especially around Northamptonshire, before entering Scotland with David. Over time, the family became firmly rooted in Scotland, gaining lands in Roxburghshire and later Perthshire, where they developed into one of the country’s notable medieval noble families. And one of the most famous later bearers was Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne, the Jacobite songwriter who helped preserve Scottish song tradition.

Sources:
Clan Lindsay
Lindsay Surname Meaning & Lindsay Family History at Ancestry.co.uk®
Walter de Lindsey (van Gent), lord of Folkingham, count of Lincoln (c.1080 - 1138) - Genealogy
Clan Scott
Scott Surname Meaning & Scott Family History at Ancestry.co.uk®
Explore the Scott Clan History
Uchtred fitz Scott (c.1090 - c.1130) - Genealogy
Clan Bruce
Bruce Surname Meaning & Bruce Family History at Ancestry.co.uk®
Sir Robert de Brus, Lord Skelton, 1st Lord of Annandale (c.1071 - 1141) - Genealogy
Clan Graham
Graham Surname Meaning & Graham Family History at Ancestry.co.uk®
Sir John Graham of Dundaff & Abercorn (1260 - 1298) - Genealogy
Clan Cumming / Comyn
Cumming Clan History: Power & Heritage
Cumming Surname Meaning & Cumming Family History at Ancestry.co.uk®
Clan Ramsay
Ramsay Surname Meaning & Ramsay Family History at Ancestry.co.uk®
Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie (c.1290 - 1342) - Genealogy
Clan Oliphant
History of the Oliphant Clan
Oliphant Surname Meaning - https://www.ancestry.co.uk/last-name-...

Creative Commons Imagery:

Roger W Haworth File:Dalhousie Castle 350.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license. Deed - Attribution 2.5 Generic - Creative Commons

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