Show ContentsRanck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The old Scottish-Dalriadan name Ranck is derived from the personal name Randolph, with the addition of the diminutive suffix -kin.

Early Origins of the Ranck family

The surname Ranck was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire.

"There is a tradition of descent from one John, son of a knight called Jacob de Rankine, burgomaster of Ghent, who married a daughter of the head of the house of Keith, and became progenitor of the Rankines. " [1] This tradition is difficult to prove but was nevertheless authored by M. H. Rankin, Esq.

Early History of the Ranck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ranck research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1587, 1600, 1629, 1672, 1719 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ranck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ranck Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of Ranck include Rankin, Ranken, Ranking, Rankene, Rankine and others.

Early Notables of the Ranck family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Lieutenant John Rankin (ca 1600s), British Royal Navy, eponym of Rankin Inlet, Canada.Alexander Ramkins (c.1672-1719) was a Scottish adherent of James II, born...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ranck Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ranck Ranking

In the United States, the name Ranck is the 15,071st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]

Ireland Migration of the Ranck family to Ireland

Some of the Ranck family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Ranck migration to the United States +

These settlers arrived in North America at a time when the east was burgeoning with prosperous colonies and the expanses of the west were just being opened up. The American War of Independence was also imminent. Some Scots stayed to fight for a new country, while others who remained loyal went north as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of them went on to rediscover their heritage in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic Scottish events. The Ranck were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Ranck Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Philip Ranck, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1729 [3]
  • Michael Ranck, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 [3]
  • Hans George Ranck, who landed in New York in 1752 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Ranck (post 1700) +

  • Werner Ranck (1904-1989), German Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross


The Ranck 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: Fortiter et recte
Motto Translation: Boldly and rightly.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)


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