Show ContentsDrummond History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Scottish Drummond surname comes from the Gaelic word "drumainn," which means "a ridge," and is a habitational name derived from the name of any of the several various places so named; and Annabella Drummond (c. 1350–1401), Queen Consort of Scotland as the wife of Robert III of Scotland.

Early Origins of the Drummond family

The surname Drummond was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland. There is also an early reference to the Clan in the district of Lennox when Gilbert de Drummyn, who was chaplain to Alwyn, Earl of Levenax, was witness to a charter by that Earl around 1199. [1]

Malcolm de Drummond witnessed several charters by Maldouen, the third Earl of Levenax, between 1225 and 1270. The family seat was at Stobhall, Perthshire. This distinguished family is said to be descended anciently from a Prince Andreas, youngest son of the King of Hungary, and came into Scotland in the train of Queen Margaret.

The Drummonds were granted the lands of Drymen; the first of the line being Sir Malcolm of Drymen. By the year 1225 Iaian, Chief of the Clan had acquired Inch Mahone in Lake Monteith. Malcolm Drummond is credited with much of the Scottish success at Bannockburn in 1314.

Annabella Drummond (1350?-1402), was Queen of Scotland, daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, was the wife of Robert III of Scotland and mother of James I. "The family of Drummond derive their name from Drymen in Stirlingshire, but trace their descent from Maurice, a Hungarian, who is said to have accompanied Edgar Etheling and his sisters to Scotland from Hungary in 1068, and to have been made, by Malcolm Canmore, after his marriage with Margaret, steward of Lennox. His descendant, Sir John de Drummond of Drymen, taken prisoner by Edward I, but released in 1297, had, by the daughter of the Earl of Menteith, Sir Malcolm de Drummond, who fought with Bruce at Bannockburn. His eldest son, a second Sir Malcolm, died in 1348, leaving three sons, John, Maurice, and Walter." [2]

Early History of the Drummond family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drummond research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1345, 1475, 1488, 1491, 1501, 1519, 1585, 1588, 1617, 1620, 1621, 1637, 1649, 1662, 1663, 1677, 1678, 1681, 1688 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Drummond History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drummond Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Drummond, Drumond, Drummann (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Drummond family

Notable among the family at this time was

  • Margaret Drummond (c. 1475-1501), mistress of King James IV of Scotland, she died from food poisoning in 1501, she was a daughter of John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond (died 1519), who was a Scottish st...
  • William Drummond (1585-1649), was a Scottish poet; Patrick Drummond, 3rd Lord Drummond; Lady Lilias Drummond (c. 1621-1663); Sir John Drummond (1620-1678), Scottish peer; John Drummond, 2nd Earl of Pe...

Drummond World Ranking

In the United States, the name Drummond is the 1,611st most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. [3] However, in Australia, the name Drummond is ranked the 690th most popular surname with an estimated 5,689 people with that name. [4] And in New Zealand, the name Drummond is the 320th popular surname with an estimated 1,919 people with that name. [5] The United Kingdom ranks Drummond as 802nd with 8,403 people. [6]

Ireland Migration of the Drummond family to Ireland

Some of the Drummond family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Drummond migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Drummond Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Gawen Drummond, who landed in New Jersey in 1677 [7]
Drummond Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Patrick Drummond, who arrived in New England in 1729 [7]
  • Michael Drummond, who settled in Virginia in 1731
  • Joseph Drummond, who settled in Virginia in 1738
  • Andrew Drummond, who settled in Boston in 1767
  • John Drummond who settled in Brunswick N. Carolina in 1775
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Drummond Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Walter Drummond, aged 47, who landed in Georgia in 1812 [7]
  • James Drummond, aged 27, who landed in New York in 1817 [7]
  • Catherine Drummond, who arrived in New York in 1820 [7]
  • Adam Drummond, who settled in New York in 1831
  • Stewart Drummond, who landed in New York in 1833 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Drummond migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Drummond Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Lt. Capt. Peter Drummond U.E. born in Saratoga Lake, New York, USA who arrived at Haldimand County, Ontario c. 1780 he enlisted in 1776 served in Loyal Rangers Regiment 8th Company, 8th Regiment, King's Royal Regiment on New York he settled on land in the Johnstown in 1793 [8]
  • Mr. Jonathan Dubble U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harboutr, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 [8]
  • Mr. Donald du McGillis U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 [8]
  • Ms. Ann Drummond U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 [8]
  • Mr. Jacobina Drummond U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 he was a surgeon, served in the King's American Regiment [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Drummond Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Andrew T. Drummond, who settled in Montreal in 1815
  • William Drummond, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1841
  • Jane Drummond, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1844

Australia Drummond migration to Australia +

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

Drummond Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Drummond, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [9]
  • Mr. Adam Drummond, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [10]
  • Mr. Alexander Drummond, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [11]
  • Mr. John Drummond, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [12]
  • Stephen Drummond, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Winchester" in 1838 [13]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Drummond 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:

Drummond Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Donald Drummond, aged 28, a farm servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 [14]
  • James Drummond, aged 15, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blenheim" in 1840
  • Donald Drummond, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Bengal Merchant [15]
  • David Drummond, aged 27, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 [16]
  • Jane Drummond, aged 24, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 [16]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Drummond (post 1700) +

  • John Willie Drummond (1919-2016), American politician, Member of the South Carolina Senate (1966-2008)
  • Garry Neil Drummond Sr. (1938-2016), American heir, business executive and philanthropist, CEO of the Drummond Company
  • Alice Elizabeth Drummond (1928-2016), American Tony award nominated actress
  • Johnathan "Jon" Drummond (b. 1968), American Olympic gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics
  • Thomas Drummond (1797-1840), Scottish engineer and statesman
  • Henry Drummond (1851-1897), Scottish evangelist theologian
  • Dugald Drummond (1840-1912), Scottish steam locomotive engineer and designer
  • Sir James Eric Drummond (1876-1951), 16th Earl of Perth, first general secretary of the League of Nations
  • Desmond Lloyd "Des" Drummond (1958-2022), England and Great Britain international rugby league footballer who played on the wing in over 588 matches in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s
  • John Fraser Drummond, British fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force, during World War II, credited with 8 aerial victories
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Drummond 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: Gang warily
Motto Translation: Go carefully.


Suggested Readings for the name Drummond +

  • James and Cecilia Drummond and Descendants by Everett William Drummond.

  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. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. 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)
  8. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
  13. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WINCHESTER 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Winchester.htm
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. Shadow Time Settlers (Retrieved 5th November 2010), retrieved from http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/settlers.html
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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