Show ContentsAndress History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Andress family were part of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The name Andress is derived from the baptismal name Andrew which in Greek means manly. The name was popular as both a personal name and a surname, likely because it was the name of Scotland's patron saint. In Gaelic the name is Aindrea and Anndra which again means manly.

Early Origins of the Andress family

The surname Andress was first found in Caithness (Gaelic: Gallaibh), the northern tip of Scotland, a Norse/Viking controlled region from the 9th century, which became the Earldom of Caithness.

This family was strongly associated with the Clan Ross. It was originally known as the Clan Siol Andrea, meaning the race of Andrew. However, from about the year 1100 the Andrews moved south to the Dumfriesshire area of southwest Scotland. Duncan Andrew, Chief of the Clan, rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. [1]

Some of the family were found further south in England, specifically at Shotley in Northumberland where "Shotley Hall is said to have been built by Dr. Andrews, physician to the first royal Duke of Cumberland." [2]

Sir Edmund Andros (1637-1714) was born in London and rose to become an English colonial administrator in North America. The 1689 Boston revolt was directly attributed to his actions in New England.

Early History of the Andress family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Andress research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1395, 1463, 1510, 1537, 1600, 1604, 1637, 1649, 1650, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1666, 1672, 1674, 1714, 1890 and 1958 are included under the topic Early Andress History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Andress Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Andress has been spelled Andrew, Andrews, MacAndrew, Androw, Androe, Andro and many more.

Early Notables of the Andress family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Alexander Andrew, Sergeant of Aberdeen; Phineas Andrews (ca. 1600-1661), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1661; and Sir Thomas Andrewes (died 1659), English financier, supporter of the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War, Commissioner at the High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I, Lord Mayor of London (1649-1650.)Laurence Andrewe (fl. 1510-1537), was a French translator and printer, a native of Calais and Thomas Andrewe (fl. 1604)...
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Andress Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Andress Ranking

In the United States, the name Andress is the 7,631st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3]

Ireland Migration of the Andress family to Ireland

Some of the Andress family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Andress migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Andress:

Andress Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Andress, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 [4]
Andress Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Andress, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 [4]
  • Johan Adam Andress, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 [4]
Andress Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Carl Andress, who arrived in Texas in 1846 [4]
Andress Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Eduard Andress, aged 23, who landed in America, in 1905
  • William Andress, who landed in America, in 1911
  • Mary Andress, aged 23, who settled in America, in 1912
  • Mary Lou Andress, aged 75, who landed in America, in 1913
  • Robert Andress, aged 32, who settled in America, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Andress (post 1700) +

  • William J. "Bill" Andress (1924-2008), American professional baseball umpire
  • Stanford E. "Andy" Andress, American author and political candidate
  • Stanford E. Andress, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Colorado 7th District, 2002; Independent Candidate for President of the United States, 2004 [5]
  • Rob Andress, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1956 [5]
  • Charles Andress, American politician, Mayor of West Chester, Pennsylvania, 1965-69 [5]
  • John Andress (b. 1984), Irish rugby union player
  • Herb Andress (1935-2004), Austrian film and television actor
  • Ursula Andress (b. 1936), Swiss Golden Globe winning actress and a major sex symbol of the 1960s, best known for her role a Bond girl Honey Ryder in Dr. No
  • David Andress Farquhar CNZM (1928-2007), New Zealand composer
  • Carver Andress Mead (b. 1934), prominent U.S. computer scientist and professor emeritus at the California Institute of Technology


The Andress 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: Victrix fortuna sapientia
Motto Translation: Wisdom is the conqueror of fortune.


  1. 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)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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