Show ContentsArnott History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Arnott is a name whose ancestors lived among the Picts, a tribe in ancient Scotland. The Arnott family lived in the lands of Arnott in the parish of Portmoak in Kinross (now part of the region of Tayside), where one of the first times the name was listed was in 1150 when Michael de Arnoth was mentioned.

Early Origins of the Arnott family

The surname Arnott was first found in the lands of Arnott in the parish of Portmoak, Kinross-shire. The first chief, recorded, Michael Arnott, held those lands about 1150. David, of Fifeshire, his successor was recorded in 1296 when he paid homage to King Edward 1st of England.

Early History of the Arnott family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arnott research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1400, 1497, 1498, 1502, 1536, 1600, 1608, 1639, 1652, 1680, 1693, 1743, 1744, 1769, 1890 and 1918 are included under the topic Early Arnott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arnott Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Arnott has been spelled Arnott, Arnot, Arnatt, Arnocht, Arnote, Arnett, Anetts, Arnette, Ernot, Ernott, Annett, Annetts and many more.

Early Notables of the Arnott family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was David Arnot, C.R.S.A., (fl. 1497- c. 1536), Scottish canon regular and bishop from Arnot, Fife, Rector of Kirkforthar, Fife in 1497, Archdeacon of Lothian in 1498; Sir Michael Arnot, 1st Baronet (d. c. 1680) of Arnot in the County of Fife; and his son, Charles Arnot (d. before 1652) represented Kinross in the Scottish Parliament.Further to the south in England, Peter Annet (1693-1769)...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Arnott Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arnott Ranking

In the United States, the name Arnott is the 14,422nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Arnott family to Ireland

Some of the Arnott family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Arnott migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Arnott:

Arnott Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • David Arnott, aged 20, who settled in Virginia in 1716
  • Philip Arnott, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1749 2
  • David Arnott, aged 20, who arrived in Georgia in 1775 2
  • John Arnott, who landed in America in 1795 2
  • John Arnott, who settled in Virginia in 1795
Arnott Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Aleses Arnott, who arrived in Arkansas in 1885 2
  • Alexander Arnott, who landed in Arkansas in 1885 2

Canada Arnott migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Arnott Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Arnott, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1812 3
  • Archibald Arnott, who settled in Bona Vista, Newfoundland in 1821 3

Australia Arnott migration to Australia +

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

Arnott Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Arnott, (b. 1781), aged 22, English wood turner who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1847 4
  • Mr. Thomas Arnott, English convict who was convicted in Salford, Greater Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

New Zealand Arnott 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:

Arnott Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Arnott, Australian settler travelling from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia aboard the ship "Bee" arriving in New Zealand in 1832 6
  • Miss Sarah Arnott, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th October 1855 6
  • Mr. David Arnott, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 7
  • Mr. Robert Arnott, (b. 1821), aged 40, Irish farm labourer, from Armagh travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th December 1861 7
  • Mr. Thomas Arnott, (b. 1841), aged 20, Irish farm labourer, from Armagh travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th December 1861 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Arnott (post 1700) +

  • Robert D. Arnott (b. 1954), American entrepreneur, investor, editor, and writer
  • Alexander Arnott, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Manchester 8
  • Neil Arnott (1788-1874), Scottish physician and natural philosopher, born at Arbroath 9
  • George Arnott Walker Arnott (1799-1868), Scottish botanist, born at Edinburgh, 6 Feb. 1799 9
  • Struther Arnott CBE, FRS, FRSE (1934-2013), Scottish academic, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews
  • James Fullarton Arnott (1914-1982), Scottish theatre professor
  • Mr. Douglas Robert Arnott B.E.M. (b. 1975), British owner of EDMF language Services as well as running the Robert Burns International Foundation, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for services to charity and to UK and Hungary relations 10
  • Halse Rogers Arnott (1879-1961), Australian medical practitioner, company director and chairman of Arnott's
  • Peter R. Arnott (b. 1932), musician, composer, theatre director
  • Ray Arnott, Australian rock drummer, singer and songwriter
  • ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Robert Arnott, American 2nd Class passenger from Kearney, New Jersey, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 11


The Arnott 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: Speratum et completum
Motto Translation: Hoped for and Fulfilled.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019
  10. "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
  11. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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