Show ContentsAngus History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The clans of the Pictish people in ancient Scotland were the ancestors of the first people to use the name Angus. It was a name for a person with great strength. The surname Angus was originally derived from the Gaelic word Aengus.

Early Origins of the Angus family

The surname Angus was first found in Fife, where one of the first records of the name was Serlo de Anegus who witnessed a composition anent the tithes of Strathylif in 1229. Other early records include: Eva de Anegos of the county of Forfare who rendered homage in 1296 to King Edward I of England when he briefly conquered Scotland; William de Anegus who was a Scottish prisoner taken at Dunbar Castle in 1297; and Edward de Anegous and Laurence of Angus who were Scottish prisoners taken in the capture of Stirling Castle in 1305. "Michael of Angous, a Scotsman, in 1358, 'was foremost at the last capture of the town of Berwick by the Scots, and leapt over the walls the night it was taken' " [1]

Early History of the Angus family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Angus research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1297, 1305, 1350, 1358, 1391, 1890 and 1955 are included under the topic Early Angus History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Angus Spelling Variations

In the Middle ages, spelling and translation were not yet regulated by any general rules. spelling variations in names were common even among members of one family unit. Angus has appeared Angus, Anguish, Anguis, Angos, Angas, Anegous, Anegos, Enguish and many more.

Early Notables of the Angus family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

  • Lord Angus

Angus Ranking

In the United States, the name Angus is the 7,781st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2] However, in Australia, the name Angus is ranked the 984th most popular surname with an estimated 4,032 people with that name. [3]

Ireland Migration of the Angus family to Ireland

Some of the Angus family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Angus migration to the United States +

Faced by this persecution and the generally unstable political climate of those days, many Scots chose to leave their homeland for Ireland, Australia, and North America in search of greater opportunity and freedom. The colonies across the Atlantic were the most popular choice, but a passage there was neither cheap nor easily suffered. Passengers arrived sick and poor, but those who made it intact often found land and more tolerant societies in which to live. These brave settlers formed the backbone of the burgeoning nations of Canada and the United States. It is only this century that the ancestors of these families have begun to recover their collective identity through the patriotic highland games and Clan societies that have sprung up throughout North America. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Angus:

Angus Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Angus who settled in Norfolk, Virginia in 1774
  • William Angus, aged 24, who arrived in New York in 1774 [4]
  • William Angus, aged 40, who landed in New York, NY in 1775 [4]
  • John Angus, aged 31, who arrived in New York in 1775 [4]
  • Daniel, Robert, William and John Angus who all, who arrived in New York in 1775
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Angus Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Angus, who landed in America in 1806 [4]
  • William Angus, who landed in Virginia in 1812 [4]
  • John Angus, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1812 [4]
  • David Angus, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1812 [4]
  • William Angus, who settled in Norfolk, Virginia in 1820
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Angus migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Angus Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Angus Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Angus, aged 33, who landed in Canada in 1811
Angus Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • A Angus, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Australia Angus migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Angus Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Denniston Angus, (b. 1806), aged 26, English servant who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1836 [6]
  • William Angus, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [7]
  • Mr. John Angus, (b. 1821), aged 23, English stone mason from Devonshire, England, UK travelling aboard the ship "Sea Queen" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 15th April 1844 [8]
  • Mrs. Mary Angus, (b. 1822), aged 22, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sea Queen" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 15th April 1844 [8]
  • Mr. John Angus, (b. 1821), aged 23, English stone mason from Devon, England, UK departing from London in January 1844 aboard the ship "Sea Queen" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 15th April 1844 [9]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Angus migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Angus Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Robert Angus, who landed in Hokianga, New Zealand in 1839
  • Mr. W. Angus, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lord Burleigh" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th August 1856 [10]
  • Mr. Alexander Angus, (b. 1832), aged 29, Scottish labourer, from Clackmannanshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th December 1861 [11]
  • Miss Isabella M. Angus, (b. 1834), aged 29, British domestic servant travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 [10]
  • Mr. Alexander Angus, (b. 1840), aged 34, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Varuna" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th May 1874 [11]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Angus (post 1700) +

  • Van Angus, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Fulton County Democratic Party, 1936 [12]
  • George W. Angus, American Republican politician, Elected New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Claremont 2nd Ward 1956 [12]
  • Felix Angus, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1920 [12]
  • Lance Corporal William Angus (1888-1959), Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions on 12 June 1915 at Givenchy, France
  • Richard Bladworth Angus (1831-1922), Scottish-Canadian financier, banker and philanthropist
  • Marion Angus (1866-1946), Scottish poet
  • Mr. Martin Richard Angus M.B.E., appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for political service [13]
  • John Angus (1938-2021), English footballer, born in Amble, Northumberland
  • Kent Angus (1952-2021), Canadian salesperson for Nike, supplier of team hockey jerseys and other apparel for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
  • Mr. Peter John Angus B.E.M., British recipient of the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to the community in Dingwall, Ross-shire [14]
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hillcrest Coal Mine
HMS Dorsetshire
  • Robert Brown Angus (d. 1945), British Marine aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking [16]
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. William Charlton Angus, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking [17]


The Angus Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fortis est veritas
Motto Translation: Truth is strong.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
  9. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  13. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  14. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
  15. List Of Miners - Hillcrest Mine Disaster Data. (Retrieved 2014, June 24) . Retrieved from http://www.hillcrestminedisaster.com/data/index.php?title=List_Of_Miners
  16. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  17. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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