Show ContentsLinklater History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Linklater surname was a habitation name, taken on from one of the places so named in the Orkneys. The place name derived from the Old Norse "lyng," meaning "heather," and "klettr," or "rock" which were combined to make the Old Norse name "Lynglettr."

Early Origins of the Linklater family

The surname Linklater was first found in the Orkneys, where the original form of the name was Linklet. Today, Linklet and Linklater both are located in the Orkney Islands. Linklater is located in South Ronaldsey, while Linklet is located in North Ronaldsey. Records of Linklater in South Ronaldsey date back as far as 1500 where it appears as Linclet; and Linklet in 1596. Linklater was also found in North Sandwick where it was listed as Lynkclet in 1500. Moving back to the Old Norse versions of the name we found records of Criste Aelingeklaet who was referred to in the Commons of Orkney in 1424 as a "goodman."

Early History of the Linklater family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Linklater research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1625, 1678, 1687, 1757 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Linklater History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Linklater Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Linklater, Linkletter, Linklitter, Linklet and others.

Early Notables of the Linklater family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

  • Andrew Linklater of that Ilk who was lawrikman in North Sandwick in 1678


United States Linklater migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Linklater Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • S. T. Linklater, aged 39, who landed in America from Glasgow, in 1892
Linklater Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • George Linklater, aged 27, who landed in America from Glasgow, in 1901
  • Peter Linklater, aged 28, who landed in America from Orkney, Scotland, in 1907
  • Robert Linklater, aged 43, who immigrated to the United States from Cardiff, Wales, in 1908
  • John Linklater, aged 4, who landed in America from Orkney, Scotland, in 1909
  • Georgina Linklater, aged 0, who immigrated to the United States from Orkney, Scotland, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Linklater migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Linklater Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Hugh Linklater, who settled in Canada in 1732
  • William Linklater, who arrived in Canada in 1783
Linklater Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Andrew Linklater, who settled in Canada in 1818

Australia Linklater migration to Australia +

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

Linklater Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Jane Linklater, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Symmetry" in 1845 [1]
  • Mary Linklater, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Symmetry" in 1845 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Linklater (post 1700) +

  • Richard Stuart Linklater (b. 1960), American five-time Academy Award nominated, Golden Globe Award winning and two-time BAFTA Award winning film director and screenwriter
  • Hamish Linklater (b. 1976), American actor, best known for playing Matthew Kimble in The New Adventures of Old Christine and Andrew Keanelly in The Crazy Ones
  • Kristin Linklater (1936-2020), Scottish vocal coach, dialect coach, acting teacher, actor, and theatre director
  • Andro Linklater (1944-2013), Scottish non-fiction writer and historian, youngest son of Eric Linklater
  • Andrew Linklater FAcSS (b. 1949), Scottish international relations academic, current Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics at Aberystwyth University
  • Magnus Linklater CBE (b. 1942), Scottish journalist, Editor of The Scotsman (1988-1994), son of Eric Linklater
  • Veronica Linklater (1943-2022), Baroness Linklater of Butterstone, a British Liberal Democrat politician and member of the House of Lords
  • John Linklater, English founder of Linklaters in 1838, now known as Linklaters LLP, a multinational law firm headquartered in London with over 2,000 employees in 20 countries
  • Joseph Linklater OBE (1876-1961), New Zealand Reform Party Member of Parliament (1922-1935)
  • Eric Robert Russell Linklater (1899-1974), Welsh-born, Scottish writer of novels and short stories, military history, and travel books, best known for his The Wind on the Moon, a children's fantasy novel, for which he won the 1944 Carnegie Medal


  1. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SYMMETRY 1845. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1845Symmetry.gif


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