Show ContentsCattanach History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The saga of the Cattanach family name begins among the people of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Cattanach name is derived from the Gaelic Cattanaich which means belonging to the Chattan or the Clan of the Cat. In Gaelic, the surname is known as Catan, but through Anglicization, the name becomes Cattanach and others.

Early Origins of the Cattanach family

The surname Cattanach was first found in Inverness, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Cattanach family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cattanach research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1600 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Cattanach History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cattanach Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Cattanach has appeared Cattanach, Cattenach, Cattenoch, Catan, Catanoch and others.

Early Notables of the Cattanach family

More information is included under the topic Early Cattanach Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Cattanach migration to Australia +

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

Cattanach Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss. Margaret Cattanach, British Convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 9th March 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Cattanach (post 1700) +

  • John Leckie Cattanach (1863-1926), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played in 1884 for the Providence Grays and the St. Louis Maroons
  • David Cattanach (1946-2022), Scottish footballer who played in 58 matches for Stirling Albion, Celtic and Falkirk in the Scottish Football League (1962-1974)
  • Dr. John Cattanach (1885-1915), Scottish shinty player for Newtonmore in the 1900s, the only shinty player inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
  • Brigadier Helen Cattanach CB, RRC (1920-1994), Scottish Matron in Chief of army Nursing Services, awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal, 1963, Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John, 1971, Colonel Commandant QARANC in 1978
  • George James Cattanach (1878-1954), Canadian gold medalist lacrosse player who competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics
  • Robert "Robbie" Cattanach (b. 1984), Australian footballer who plays for Canberra Olympic


  1. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1847


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