Angus
A Scottish surname most often linked to the old county name Angus in eastern Scotland, or to the Gaelic personal name Aonghus/Angus.
The #7,854 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,267 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Angus is most commonly associated with the Scottish place name Angus, the historic county in eastern Scotland. In that sense it is a locational surname meaning someone from Angus or connected with that district. It can also overlap with the old Gaelic personal name Aonghus, Anglicized as Angus, which means something like “one choice” or “unique vigor” in traditional explanations.
History
The excerpts connect Angus with both the county name and with Gaelic patronymic forms such as Mac Angus, showing how the name could function in more than one way in Scotland and Ireland. Bardsley’s notes also suggest some English bearers were comparatively recent immigrants from northern Scotland. The surname has therefore been carried by both place-based and family-name traditions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same word appears in the famous Scottish place name Cupar-Angus, literally linking the surname to one of Scotland’s older territorial names.
From the historical record
“(Celt.) Son of Angus, q.v. [Ir. Mac Aenghusa, genit. of Aengus]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)