Erskine
A Scottish surname taken from the lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire, near the River Clyde.
The #6,458 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,719 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Erskine is a locational surname from the barony or lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The surname was adopted by people who held or came from that place, rather than describing a trade or personal trait. Older writers sometimes repeated a romantic legend that the name came from a battlefield exploit, but the place-name origin is the accepted explanation.
History
The name is traditionally associated with one of the old noble families of Scotland, and early sources say it was assumed by Henry of Erskine in the 13th century. Later genealogical writers also linked the surname with a famous Scottish noble house that became prominent in Lowland Scottish history. The name spread beyond Scotland through migration and, like many Scottish surnames, is found in Ireland and the wider English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century etymologists preserved a colorful folk story claiming the name came from a warrior saying he had done it with his 'Highland sword,' but they still treated the place-name explanation as the real one.
From the historical record
“title of carl. ERSKINE. The name of this ancient and noble Scottish family is derived from the barony of Erskine on the Clyde, in Pienfrewshire, and it was first assumed by Henry of Erskine, about the year 1220. ESAM. Perhaps from Evesham, co. AVorcester. ESCOMBE. A chapelry In co. Durham.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom