Austeen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

History reveals the roots of the Austeen family name in the ancient Strathclyde people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The Austeen name is derived from the Gaelic Mac Austain meaning "son of Austin."

Early Origins of the Austeen family

The surname Austeen was first found in Scotland where "the Austins appear first on record as allies and supporters of the Keiths. The name was variously spelt, though in ancient records it was generally begun with Ou or Ow. Of curious interest as showing an early connection between the families is the occurrence in 1587 of the name of Alexander Ousteane, burgess of Edinburgh, as one of the cautioners for George Keith, Earl Marshall, in an action raised against him, by Margaret Erskine, Lady Pitcarie. In the same year Alexander Oisteane, no doubt the same person, was a parliamentary representative of the Burgh of Edinburgh. In 1589 Walter Oustene, a tenant in Lochquhan (a possession of the Keith family), was one of the subscribers to a Bond of Caution imposed on a number of the landed men in the shires of Aberdeen and Kincardine, binding them to keep the peace in the struggles with the Catholic party beaded by Huntly" (D. W. Stewart, Old and rare Scottish tartans). " 1

Early History of the Austeen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Austeen research. Another 151 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1448, 1503, 1566, 1574, 1583, 1584, 1593, 1594, 1676, 1681, 1699, 1755, 1800, 1820 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Austeen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Austeen Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Austeen has been spelled Austin, Austins, Austen, Austeane, Ostian, Ousteane, Owstyne, Ostiane and many more.

Early Notables of the Austeen family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Austin (fl. 1820), a Scotch inventor and native of Craigton. He published at Glasgow, in or about 1800, a system of 'Stenography which may be learned in an hour,' on a single folio engraved sheet, price 2s. 6d. A note at the end announces the publication of a complete system by the same author, price...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Austeen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Austeen family to Ireland

Some of the Austeen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Austeen migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

Austeen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Austeen, who landed in Maryland in 1661 2

The Austeen 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: Crux nostra corona
Motto Translation: The cross is our crown.

Citations +

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)
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)