Scottish Surnames, Haddow to Hutton

HADDOW
Local: from the town of Haddo in Aberdeenshire.

Haddow, Sir Alexander (1907-) of Broxburn. Appointed Professor of Experimental Pathology, Univ. of London in 1946. Director of Beatty Research Institute, Cancer Research, Royal Cancer Hosp., Fulham Rd. (1946-69).

Haddow, Alexander J. (1912-) of Glasgow? Entomologist on Yellow Fever research (1942-45). Epidemologist on East African virus research (1950-52).

HAIG, Douglas, Viscount Dawick and 20th Laird of Bemersyde (1861-1928) of Edinburgh. Field Marshal and Commander in Chief, British Forces in the Great War (1914-18).

HAIGE
A hedge. The motto of the Haiges, " Tyde what may," is taken from an old prophecy of Sir Thomas Learmont, called Thomas the Rymer:
" Tyde what may betide,
Haig shall be Laird of Bemerside."

HALDANE, Elizabeth Sanderson (1862-1937) of Edinburgh. Author. Wrote A Life of Descartes (1905). Translated Hagel and wrote com-mentaries on George Eliot (1927). She was the first woman JP in Scotland.

HALDANE, James Alexander (1768-1851) of Dundee. Preacher who founded in Edinburgh in 1799 the first Congregational Church in Scotland.

HALDANE, John Scott (1860-1936) of Edinburgh? Eminent physiologist and authority on respiration and the effects of high and low atmospheric pressures in the organism. Studied the effects of industrial occupations upon physiology. Was a director of a mining research lab. in Birmingham. Elected Fellow of New College, Oxford.

HALDANE, Richard Burdon, 1st Viscount Haldane of Cloan (1856-1928) of Edinburgh. Statesman and philosopher. Sec. of State for War (1905-12). His great work was the creation of expeditionary forces.

HALKETT
The name in the charters of the family is written both de Hawkhead and de Halkett, and was assumed from the barony of Hawkhead in Renfrewshire. The family are descended from David de Halkett, temp. David Bruce.

HALL, Basil (1788-1844) of Edinburgh. Travel writer. His works, Korea (1818), Chile, Peru and Mexico (1824), and his Travels in North Africa (1829) were highly popular.

HALL, Sir James (1761-1832) of Dunglass. Geologist. Sought to prove the geological theories of his friend and master (Hutton) in the laboratory, and so founded Experimental Geology.

HALLIDAY
The name is derived from the slogan or war cry of the family " a holy day, a holy day."

Halliday, Sir Andrew (1781-1839) of Dumfries. Physician. Inspector of Hospitals in West Indies (1833). Sometime physician to the Duke of Clarence.

HALYBURTON
Local: from the lands of Halyburton in Berwickshire.

HAMILTON
Local: from the manor of Hambleton in Buckinghamshire. The family are descended from Sir William de Hambleton, third son of Robert Earl of Leicester, descended from the Earls of Mellent in Normandy. This Sir "William de Hambleton having slain John de Spencer in a rencontre, fled from the court of Edward II, to Scotland; being closely pursued, he and his attendant changed clothes with two woodcutters, and taking their saws, were in the act of cutting through an oak tree, when their pursuers passed by, perceiving his servant notice them, Sir William cried, "Through." He afterwards married the daughter of Gilbert, Earl of Strathern, and received from Robert Bruce the lands of Kedzow in Lanarkshire ; and assumed for his crest an oak tree with a saw through it, and for his motto, the word "Through."

Hamilton, Alexander (1757-1804), born in Leeward Islands of Scottish descent. Statesman. Private Sec. to Washington in the American War of Independence. Elected to the New York Legislature in 1787. Sec. to the Treasury (1789-95). Was killed in a duel with a political opponent.

Hamilton, David (1768-1843) of Falkirk. Architect. His greatest work was the Palace for the Duke of Hamilton, in Lanarkshire.

Hamilton, Douglas Douglas-(14th Duke) (1903-1973). Chief pilot, Mount Everest Flight Expedition (1933). Sometime President, Air League of the British Empire. Was Premier Duke of Scotland.

Hamilton, Gavin (1723-98) of Lanark. Painter and antiquary. His collection of marbles is in the Louvre. His paintings were mainly large historical works.

Hamilton, Hamish (1900-) of Glasgow. Managing Director, Hamish Hamilton Ltd., publishers since 1931. Was seconded to the US Div. of Min. of Information (1941-45).

Hamilton, lain Ellis (1922-) of Glasgow. Composer and pianist. Became Professor of Music at Duke Univ., North Carolina, USA in 1962. Hamilton has composed two symphonies and several operas. His works have attracted universal interest and won the Royal Philharmonic Society prize for his Clarinet Concerto.

Hamilton, lan of Paisley ? Author, journalist and drama critic. Editorial Director, The Hutchison Group of Publishing Cos. (1958-62). Editor, The Spectator (1962-63) and Chairman, New Drama Group.

Hamilton, James (-d. 1540) of Ayrshire. Architect of exceptional ability in his day. HAMILTON, Tarrick (1781-1876). Linguist and orientalist. Translator (1820) of the first four volumes of Sirat Anterah (narrative of the poet Antar). Became Sec. of the British Embassy, Constantinople.

Hamilton, William (1704-54) of Bangour, Linlithgowshire. Poet. Was the first to translate Homer into blank verse. Best remembered for his ballad 'The Braes of Yarrow'.

Hamilton, Sir William (1730-1803). Scottish diplomat and antiquarian. Took many observations of volcanic activity and of earthquakes. Wrote an account of Pompeii for the Society of Antiquaries of London. He was one of the owners of the Portland Vase. He married Emma Lyon (1791) who became Nelson's mistress about 1798.

Hamilton, Sir William (1788-1856) of Glasgow. Philosopher. He invented the doctrine of the quantification of the predicate (a form of syllogism in which both subject and predicate are quantified). He urged that the philosophy of common sense is the highest kind of human speculation and reasoning.

Hamilton, William R.D. (1895-1969) of Campbeltown. Major-General (1953). Consulting physician MELF (1948-50). Director of Medicine and Consulting Physician to the Army (1951-55).

Hamilton, Sir William Rowan (1805-65). Born in Dublin of a Scottish family that had settled there. Mathematician. At the age of 22 he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at Trinity Coll., Dublin and Royal Astronomer of Ireland. He invented the terms 'vector' and 'scalar' and was first to represent complex numbers as ordered pairs of real numbers.

Hamilton, William (c. 1665-1751) of Ladyland, Ayrshire. Poet famous for his edition of Blind Harry's 'Wallace' (1722) which inspired Burns.

HAMMERTON, Sir John Alexander (1871-1949) of Alexandria, Dum-bartonshire. Journalist and editor. Edited many works of reference including the Universal Encyclopaedia, Universal History, Peoples of all Nations and Countries of the World. In both World Wars he edited a weekly magazine War Illustrated.

HAMMIL
A house, a home. The family are descended from Robert de Hommyl of Roughwood in Ayrshire, 1452.

HANNAY
A leader, a chieftain; from the Saxon, hana; the name is also written Hanna, and Achany.

Hannay, James (1827-73) of Dumfries. Writer. His best novels were Singleton Fontenoy (1850) and Eustace Conyers (1855). He was British Consul at Barcelona from 1868 until his death.

HARDIE, James Keir (1856-1915) of Legbrannock, Lanarkshire. Founder of the Independent Labour Party in 1893. In 1906 became first chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

HARDIE, Thomas (1752-1832) of Larbert. Politician. In 1792 he founded the London Corresponding Society for Parliamentary and Social Reform.

HARRIS
The son of Henry, which signifies rich lord.

HARRISON, James, a Scottish printer emigrant to Australia in 1837. While cleaning type with ether, he noticed its cooling effect on metal-ether being a liquid with a low boiling point that vaporises easily. In 1851 he put his discovery to use by pumping ether through pipes to cool a brewery building in the gold rush town of Bendigo, Victoria. He later developed the first vapour-compressor machines which were produced for several decades, using ethyl ether as the refrigerant. It was Harrison's idea that led to the first successful voyage from Australia with a refrigeration plant in the ss Strathleven with a cargo of meat to London in 1880.

HARVEY, Sir George (1805-76) of St Niniane, nr. Stirling. Historical and landscape painter. Appointed President of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1864.

HASTON, Dougal (1939-77) of Currie, Midlothian. First British climber to conquer Mt Everest (1975). Was also the first Briton to climb the north face of the Eiger (1966). Sometime described as the greatest mountain climber ever.

HAY
In the reign of Kenneth III, about 980, the Danes having invaded Scotland, were encountered by that king near Loncarty in Perth-shire ; the Scots at first gave way and fled through a narrow pass where they were stopped by a countryman of great strength and courage, and his two sons, with no other weapons than the yokes of their ploughs, upbraiding the fugitives for their cowardice, he succeeded in rallying them, and the battle being renewed, the Danes were defeated. After the victory was obtained, the old man lying on the ground, wounded and fatigued, cried " Hay, hay," which word became the surname of his posterity, and the king, as a reward for his signal service, gave him as much land in the Carse of Gowrie, as a falcon should fly over before it settled, and a falcon being accordingly let off, flew over an extent of ground six miles in length, afterwards called Errol, and lighted on a stone, still called Falcon stone ; the king also assigned three shields or escutcheons for the arms of the family, to intimate that the father and his two sons had been the three fortunate shields of Scotland.

Hay, lan, Major-General John Hay Beith, (1876-1952) of Edinburgh ? Novelist and dramatist. The First Hundred Thousand (1915) and Car-rying On (1917) were popular books of his. He was Director of Public Relations at the War Office (1938-41).

Hay, Sir Robert (1889-) Lieut.-General and Director-General, Imperial Medical Service and Hon. Physician to the King (1944-48)

HEART
The family bear three hearts gules, in their arms, whence probably the name.

HEATHFIELD, George Augustus Eliott, Baron Heathfield, (1717-90) of Stobbs, Roxburghshire. General who served in the war of Austrian Succession at Dettingen and Fontenoy, and in the West Indies in the Seven Years War. As Governor of Gibraltar he defended it against Spanish attacks from 1779 to 1783.

HENDERSON
The son of Henry.

Henderson, Arthur (1863-1935) of Glasgow. Labour politician. Home Sec. (1924), Foreign Sec. (1929-31). Was a crusader for general disarmament.

Henderson, Sir David (1862-1921) of Glasgow. Lieut.-General. Served with distinction in Sudan and South Africa. Took up flying in 1911 and played a part in the formation of the Royal Flying Corps in 1912.

Henderson, David W. (1903-) of Glasgow. Director of Microbiological Research Establishment, Min. of Defence (1946-).

Henderson, Frank Young (1894-1966) of Glasgow. Director, Forest Products Research Laboratory, Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research (1945-60).

Henderson, James E. (1923-) of Glasgow. Chief Scientist RAF and member of the Air Force Board (1969-).

Henderson, Sir James T. (1901-) of Moffat. Diplomat. Charge d'Affaires Helsinki (1932-35), Consul General, Houston (1949), Minister for Ireland (1953-56) and Ambassador to Bolivia (1956-60).

Henderson, Dame Joan, of Stonehaven. Director, Women's Royal Army Corps (1964-67).

Henderson, Joe ('Mr Piano') (?-d. 1980) of Glasgow. Pianist, accompanist and composer of considerable merit.

Henderson, Patrick Howart (1876-1968) of Perthsire. Major-General (1931), served with the 7th Div. in France (1914-15), with 28th Div. in Egypt and Macedonia (1916-17) and with 27th Div. in Macedonia, S. Russia and Trans-Caspio (1917-19).

Henderson, Peter, of Inverness. Senior Principal Medical Officer, Min. of Education (1964-69).

Henderson, Ralph (1897-) of Perth. Director of Stores, Admiralty (1955-60).

Henderson, Thomas (1798-1844) of Dundee. Astronomer. In 1831 was appointed Director of the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope.

HENDRY, Arnold W. (1921-) of Buckie. Professor of Civil Engineer-ing, Univ. of Edinburgh (1964-), Univ. of Khartoum (1951-57). Prof. of Building Science, Univ. of Liverpool (1957-63).

HENDRY, Stephen (1968-) of Edinburgh. Became world champion snooker player in 1990, the youngest ever. An all-time great at the snooker table.

HENRY, Joseph (1797-1878), born in America of Scottish parentage. Physicist. Made important discoveries on the subject of electro-magnetic induction; the 'Henry' (of inductance) is named after him. In 1840 he became the first Sec. and Director of Smithsonian Institute, Washington.

HENRY, Robert (1718-90) from near Stirling. Historian. Wrote the History of Great Britain on a New Plan (1771-90) in 6 vols.

HEPBURN
The sweet briar by the brook - hiope, a sweet briar, and bourne, a brook. Sir Patrick Hepburn of Hales, eldest son of Sir Adam Hepburn of Hales, was created Lord Hales in 1467 ; his grandson Patrick Lord Hales, was created Earl of Bothwell in 1488, the great grandson of the latter, James, fourth Earl of Bothwell, was created Marquis of Fife, and Duke of Orkney, and married Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1567, but was attainted and banished the same year, and died in the Castle of Malmoe in Norway, in 1577. The family bear a rose in their arms - motto: "Keep Tryst."

HERIOT
One who provides furniture for an army.

Heriot, George (1563-1624) of Edinburgh. Goldsmith, Jeweller and philanthropist, known as 'Jingling Geordie'. Jeweller to James VI and goldsmith to Queen Anne of Denmark (1597). He amassed considerable wealth as a court jeweller in London. Founder of George Heriot's School, Edinburgh.

HERRIES, John Maxwell, 4th Baronet (c.1512-83). Soldier and politician. Led Mary, Queen of Scots Cavalry at Langside and rode with her into England in 1568.

HERRIOT, James. See WIGHT, J.A.

HERON
The family bear a heron argent, in their arms, whence probably the name.

HETHERINGTON, Sir Hector (1888-1965) ofCowdenbeath. Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Univ. of Glasgow (1936-61). Professor of Logic and Philosophy, Univ. Coll., Cardiff (1915-20), Exeter (1920-24) and Liverpool (1927-36).

HIELBRON, Sir James Morris (1886-1959) of Glasgow. Organic chemist. Professor of Organic Chemistry at Liverpool (1920), Manchester (1933) and at Imperial Coll., London (1938-49). Was best known for his work on vitamins A and D. Elected FRS in 1931.

HIGHET, Gilbert (1906-) of Glasgow. Scholar, critic and author. Appointed Professor of Greek and Latin in Columbia Univ. in 1938. Wrote Man's Unconquered Mind.

HILL, David Octavius (1802-70) of Perth. Landscape and portrait painter and photographer. The first to apply photography to portrai-ture.

HILL, lan G. W. (1904-) of Edinburgh. Professor of Medicine, Univ. of St Andrews (1950-). Consulting physician, 14th Army, Burma and ALFSEA (1944-45). Patel lecturer, Bombay (1961).

HOARE, Sir Samuel (1896-) of Inverness. Politician. Asst. Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (1946-61). Represented the UK on various international bodies, incl. Narcotics Commission and Economic and So-cial Council of the UN.

HOGG
The family bear three boar's heads erased azure, in their arms, whence probably the name.

Hogg, James, (1770-1835) of Ettrick, Selkirkshire. Poet offeree and originality. 'The Queen's Wake' (1813) was one of his best. He was more commonly known as the 'Ettrick Shepherd'.

HOLDEN, Sir Isaac (1807-97) of Hurlet, Renfrewshire. Inventor and mathematician. Studied chemistry in his leisure hours. Invented the 'Lucifer' match, but was anticipated in this by John Walker of Stockton. Was an associate of Lister.

HOLME
An island meadow.

HOLMES, William (1922-) of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire. Professor of Agriculture, Wye Coll., London (1955-). President, British Soc. of Animal Production (1969-70). Sometime adviser to the Tech. Committee, Univ. of West Indies.

HOME
Local: from the castle of Home in Berwickshire. The family are descended from "William Home, temp. Alexander III, the grandson of Patrick Home, Earl of Dunbar; their war cry was "a Home, a Home."

Home, John (1722-1808) of Leith. Dramatist and playwright. His first drama Douglas, produced at Covent Garden in 1757 was his greatest success.

HONEYMAN, Alexander M. (1907-) of Fife? Professor of Oriental Languages,Univ. of St Andrews (1936-). External examiner to Univs. of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Leeds and London. Travelled and excavated in S. Arabia (1950-54 and 58).

HONEYMAN, Sir George (1898-) of Glasgow. Chairman, Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal (1952), Agricultural Wages Bd. (1953), Comm. of Inquiry, Copper Mining Industry, N. Rhodesia (1957), Bd. of Inquiry, Sugar Milling Industry, Fiji (1959) etc.

HOOD, Sir Alexander (1888-) of Edinburgh. Lieut.-General (1941). Sometime Deputy Director of Medical Services, British Forces in Palestine and Transjordan. Director-General Army Medical Services (1941-48). Governor and C in C, Bermuda (1949-55).

HOOD, Thomas (1799-1845), born in London of Scottish descent. Poet and contributer to the London Magazine. Published Whims and Oddities (1826) and his Comic Annual four years later.

HOPE
The side of a hill. The family are descended from John de Hope, temp. Alexander III.

Hope, John A. Louis, 7th Earl and 1st Marquis of Linlithgow, (1860-1908). Appointed first Governor-General of Australia (1900-02).

Hope, Thomas Charles (1766-1844) of Edinburgh. Chemist and lecturer. Carried out important researches in physics. Conclusively confirmed the seventeenth century observation, in his day regarded with scepticism, that water expands as it freezes.

Hope, Victor Alexander John, 8th Earl and 2nd. Marquis of Linlith-gow, (1887-1952). Viceroy of India (1936-43).

HOPPER
A dancer.

HORN
The family bear a buglehorn in their arms; and for a crest, a buglehorn azure, whence probably the name.

HORNE, Henry Sinclair, 1st Baron of Stirkoke (1861-1928). Com-manded 1st Army in France (1916). General Officer C in C, Eastern Command (1919-23). Was the first to use the 'Creeping Barrage' system of artillary support for infantry.

HORROCKS, William. The Scotsman who invented the first effective mechanical weaving looms in 1803 and 1813. They included automatic unwinding of the warp threads and the winding up of the fabric on the beam.

HORSBURGH, Thomas. Scottish blacksmith. Devised the first steel shafted golf club in 1894.

HOUSTON
Local: from the parish of Houston in Renfrewshire. In the reign of Malcolm IV, 1153, Hugh Padvinan obtained the barony of Kilpeter from Baldwin of Biggar, Sheriff of Lan-ark, hence called Hughstoun, corrupted to Houstoun.

Houston, Renee (Katherina Houston Gribbin) (-d.1980). Vaudeville and review artist. Once teamed with her sister Billie. More recently, character artist on Screen and TV. Was a popular member of radio's Petticoat Line team.

Houston, Sam (1793-1863) US Soldier and Politician of Scottish descent; first President of Texas (1836), Governor of Texas (1859-61). Houston in Texas bears his name.

HOWE, James (1780-1836) of Skirling, Peebles-shire. Artist. His pic-tures are still much admired. He was commissioned by Sir John Sinclair the noted agriculturist and statesman, to travel Scotland and make paintings of different breeds of cattle.

HOWISON
The son of Hugh. The family are descended from John Howison, burgess of Edinburgh, 1450. The first ancestor of the family and his son, were farmers, and rescued James I from an attack made upon him when he had strayed from his attendants, while hunting near Cra-mond Bridge, and having saved the king's life by beating off his assailants with their flails, held a basin and a towel to wash his wounds. For these timely services they were rewarded with a grant of the lands of Braehead, the red-dendo in the charter being " Servitium Lavacri," a service that was complied with to George IV, at the banquet of the magistrates of Edinburgh in 1822.

HOWSON, John, (1908-) of Glasgow. Rear-Admiral (1961). Served with distinction in HMS Newcastle and HMS Nelson (1939-44). Chief of Staff to C in C Plymouth (1958-61). Commander, Allied Naval Forces, Northern Europe (1961-62). Regional Officer, N. Midlands British Productivity Council (1964-).

HOYER-MILLAR, Dame Elizabeth of Angus. Director, Women's Royal Naval Service (1958-61). Hon. ADC to the Queen (1958-61).

HUGHES, Henry H. (1911-) of Glasgow. Rear-Admiral (1964). Director of Naval Electrical Engineering (1964-). HUME, Alexr. (c.1560-1609) of Polworth, Berwickshire. Poet and minister. His best known poem 'The Day Estivall'.

HUME, David (1711-76) of Edinburgh. Philosopher, historian and economist. Wrote a Treatise on Human Nature (1739-40) and The History of England (1754-73).

HUME, Joseph (1777-1855) of Montrose. Radical politician. Sat in Parliament (1812 and 1819-55). Advocated savings banks, freedom of trade with India, abolition of flogging in the army, of naval impressment and of imprisonment for debt, and the repeal of the act prohibit-ing export of machinery, and of that preventing workmen from going abroad.

HUMPHREY, Sir Andrew (1921-77) of Edinburgh. Marshal of the Royal Air Force. Chief of Air Staff (1974-76) and Chief of the Defence Staff (1976-77).

HUMPHREYS, Eliza M. (-d.1938) from Invemess-shire. Novelist who wrote under the pen-name 'Rita'. Of some 60 novels, Souls (1903) was the one that made her famous. In the days of Victorian conventions, she was considered a daring novelist.

HUNT, Sir Peter M. (1916-) of Perthshire. General. Chief of the General Staff (1973-). Was Chief of Staff Scottish Commd. (1962-64). Commander Northern Army Group and C in C BAOR (1970-73).

HUNTER
The family have been seated at Hunterston in Aryshire since the time of Alexander II. They bear three hunting horns vert in their arms, whence probably the name.

Hunter, Sir Archibald. Scottish General in the Sudan with Kitchener.

Hunter, John (1728-93) of Long Calderwood, E. Kilbride. Physiologist and Surgeon. Founder of Surgical Pathology. His Natural History of Human Teeth (1771-78) revolutionised dentistry. In 1776 he was appointed surgeon extraordinary to the King. He was regarded as one of the greatest surgeons of all time.

Hunter, William (1718-93) of Long Calderwood, and brother of John. Anatomist and obstetrician. He was the leading obstetrician of his time. His chief work was on the uterus. It was he who built the famous Anatomical School in Gt. Windmill St., Leicester Sq. In 1764 was appointed physician extraordinary to Queen Charlotte. Elected FRS in 1767.

Hunter, Sir William Wilson (1840-1900) of Glasgow. Statistician. Director-General of the Statistical Dept. of India (1871). The Indian census of 1872 was his work.

HUTCHINSON, John (1832-1910) of Edinburgh. Sculptor. His prin-cipal works are statues of Robert Bruce, John Knox, Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort.

HUTCHISON, Sir Balfour Oliphant (1889-1967) of Kirkcaldy. Lieut.-General. Deputy QMG Middle East (1940-42), GOC Sudan and Eritrea (1942-43), QMG India (1944-45) (Ret.) Served with distinction in the Palestine Rebellion (1938-39).

HUTCHISON, James H., (1912-) of Glasgow. Samson Gemmel Professor of Child Health. Produced many publications on paediatric problems, rickets and genetic diseases in childhood.

HUTCHISON, Sir William Oliphant (1889-1970) of Fife. Portrait painter. President, Royal Society of Portrait Painters (1965). His sitters included HM The Queen and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

HUTCHISON, Dr William W. of Aberdeen. Appointed President of the Geographical Assoc. of Canada in 1973.

HUTTON, James (1726-97) of Edinburgh. Geologist. The 'Huttonian' theory, emphasizing the igneous origin of many rocks and deprecating the assumption of other causes than those we see still at work, was ex-pounded before the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 'A Theory of the Earth' (1785). It formed the basis of modern geology.

If you have a web site devoted to any of the above family surnames, please e-mail me your web address for free inclusion on this page.

Return to Scottish Surnames