Car Surname HistoryThe earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Scotland were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Scottish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. The surname Car is derived from the Gaelic name O'Ciarain or O'Ceirin, which itself comes from the Gaelic word ciar, which means black or dark brown. Early Origins of the Car familyThe surname Car was first found in Lancashire (located in northwest England and dates back to 1180), where one of the earliest records of a progenitor of the Clan was a John Ker, hunter, resident of Soonhope in 1190 AD. He is believed to have received a grant of land from the Crown and settled in the Border country of Scotland soon after the Norman invasion moved northwards. Within a century, two main branches evolved from two brothers, Ralph and John who lived near Jedburgh in c. 1330. They were both listed in the Roll of Battle Abbey as having descended from the Norman Karre. 1 The Kerrs of Cessford were descended from Ralph, and the Kerrs of Ferniehurst were descended from John. Now we draw the reader's attention to a slightly different origin with a different timeline but similar. "Two brothers, of Anglo-Norman descent., who bore this name [Karre] are said to have settled in Scotland during the 13th century. No one known which was the elder of the two, for 'neither house would yield the superiority to the other, forming two distinct races of war-like Border chieftains.' The Kerrs of Fernihirst are represented by the Marquesses of Lothian, the Kers of Cessord by the Dukes of Roxburghe." 2 We believe that the reference to the 13th century is a typo, as it should have read 14th century (the 1300's) not the 1200's. Early History of the Car familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Car research. Another 172 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1205, 1264, 1296, 1350, 1553, 1570, 1578, 1600, 1605, 1606, 1609, 1615, 1616, 1624, 1650, 1654, 1675, 1680, 1684, 1690, 1741, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Car History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Car Spelling VariationsThe frequent translations of surnames from and into Gaelic, accounts for the multitude of spelling variations found in Scottish surnames. Furthermore, the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent because medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. The different versions of a surname, such as the inclusion of the patronymic prefix "Mac", frequently indicated a religious or Clan affiliation, or even a division of the family. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into Scotland, accelerating accentuating the alterations to various surnames. The name Car has also been spelled Kerr, Car, Carr, Ker, Cearr (Gaelic) and many more. Early Notables of the Car familyNotable among the family at this time was
Car RankingIn France, the name Car is the 3,553rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3 Migration of the Car family to IrelandSome of the Car family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
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