Elderkin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Elderkin is a name that comes from the noble Boernician clans of the Scottish-English border region. It is a name for a person who was the elder of two people, [1] bearing the same name or the name could have been derived from the Old English "ealdra," meaning "elder." Alternatively, the name could have a nickname for someone who was a "dweller at, or near, an elder tree." [2]

Early Origins of the Elderkin family

The surname Elderkin was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area. One of the first records of the family was John Eldar or Eldare de Corstorfin who was burgess of Edinburgh in 1423 and "the surname is also recorded in Aberdeen in 1447. John Elder, a renegade Scot, urged Henry VIII ('Bagcheeks') to invade Scotland, assuring him of the support of the Highland Clans. Andro Elder, was a reidare at Menmure in 1574." [3]

Further to the south, "this surname is derived from a nickname 'the elder.' The usual form in the Yorkshire Poll Tax is Senior, and this has become one of the strongly established surnames of that county." However, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 does list Ricardus ye Elder. [4] William atte Nalre, atte Naldhres was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1277 and gain in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1313. [5]

Early History of the Elderkin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elderkin research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1542, 1555, 1680, 1700 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Elderkin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elderkin Spelling Variations

Boernician names that evolved in the largely preliterate Middle Ages are often marked by considerable spelling variations. Elderkin has been spelled Elder, Elders, Eldar, MacNoravaich and others.

Early Notables of the Elderkin family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Elder (fl. 1555), Scottish writer, a native of Caithness who passed twelve years of his life at the universities of St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and Glasgow, and appears to have entered the ministry. "He came to England soon after the death of James V of Scotland in 1542, when he presented to Henry VIII a 'plot' or map of the realm of Scotland, being a...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elderkin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Elderkin family to Ireland

Some of the Elderkin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elderkin 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:

Elderkin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Matilda Elderkin, aged 18, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1870 [6]
M. Elderkin, aged 35, a matron, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waitangi" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Elderkin (post 1700) +

Noble Strong Elderkin (1810-1875), American politician
Mark Elderkin (b. 1963), American entrepreneur
Noble S. Elderkin, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from St. Lawrence County 3rd District, 1849-51 [7]
Paul Elderkin (b. 1987), English professional basketball player
Thomas Elderkin (1909-1961), English cricketer
Angus Alexander Elderkin (b. 1896), Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons
Nabil Elderkin, Australian professional photographer and music video and film director

The Elderkin 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: Virtute duce
Motto Translation: With virtue for guide.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html