Alastair History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

On the western coast of Scotland and on the Hebrides islands the Alastair family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the given name Alexander, which in turn was originally derived from the Greek name, which means defender of men. In the late 11th century, Queen Margaret introduced the name, which she had heard in the Hungarian Court where she was raised, into Scotland by naming one of her sons Alexander. The popularity of the name Alexander was ensured by the fact that it was born by three Scottish kings, the first being Margaret's son who succeeded to the throne of Scotland following the death of Malcolm III.

Early Origins of the Alastair family

The surname Alastair was first found in Kintyre, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

"As a surname Alexander is very common on the west coast, where, according to the authors of Clan Donald, some of the descendants of Godfrey, second son of Alastair Mor, appear to have settled in the Carrick district of Ayrshire. " 1

The Clan MacAllistair, Alisdair being the Gaelic for Alexander, are descended from the great King Somerled. Somerled had five sons, by his marriage to Ragnhildis, daughter of the Norwegian King of the Isles, Olaf Morsel. In the MacAllister line, Ranald had two sons, Ruari and Donald, and Donald had two sons, Angus and Alisdair. Alisdair living about 1230 to 1295 claimed the territory in South Knapdale, Kintyre, the ancient Clan seat was at Ard Phadraid (Patrick's Point) on the south side of Loch Tarbot. Alisdair (known as Alisdair Mor (the big)) is the recognized founder of the Clan. On his death, his estates were given to his brother and heir who was one of Bruce's supporters, Angus Mor.

Early History of the Alastair family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alastair research. Another 462 words (33 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1200, 1204, 1220, 1230, 1245, 1295, 1431, 1475, 1570, 1588, 1602, 1605, 1614, 1615, 1619, 1620, 1640, 1643, 1652, 1653, 1655, 1660, 1664, 1665, 1667, 1681, 1686, 1743, 1765, 1797, 1846 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Alastair History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alastair Spelling Variations

In various documents Alastair has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Alexander, Alistair, MacAlexander, Alisandre, Alischoner, Alsinder, Alastair, MacAlexter, Callestar, Aleckander, Alexandri, Alisdair, Alaisder, Alestare, Alistare and many more.

Early Notables of the Alastair family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Sir William Alexander (circa 1570-1640), 1st Earl of Stirling, Scottish government official, knighted in 1614, appointed Governor of the barony of Nova Scotia; William Allestry (Allestrie) (1588-1655), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England (1640-1643)...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Alastair Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Alastair family to Ireland

Some of the Alastair family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 153 words (11 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Alastair family

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Alastair or a variant listed above: Sir William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, who colonized Nova Scotia, in Antigonish, Pictou, the Carolinas, Virginia and Upper Canada. Richard H. Alexander, traveled from Ontario in a group called the ".

Contemporary Notables of the name Alastair (post 1700) +

Peter Alastair Care (b. 1953), English film and video producer, known for his work with R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison, Depeche Mode and New Order
Jon Alastair Craig (1941-2015), New Zealand architect, lead architect for the new terminal development at Wellington International Airport
Kevin Alastair Kyle (b. 1981), Scottish footballer
Major General Hugh Alastair Borradaile, Vice Adjunct General in the British War Office
Robert Alastair Addie (1960-2003), British actor
Alastair Harold Kurt Smail (b. 1964), English judge and former first-class cricketer
Alastair Robin McGlashan (d. 2012), British Anglican priest, a Jungian analyst, Tamil scholar
Alastair David Shaw Fowler CBE FBA (1930-2022), Scottish literary critic, editor, and an authority on Edmund Spenser, Renaissance literature, genre theory, and numerology
Alastair Little (1950-2022), British chef, cookbook author and restaurateur, known in the 1980s for his eponymous Soho restaurant and frequent appearances on British television
Alastair J. Minnis (b. 1948), Northern Irish literary critic and historian

The Alastair 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: Per mare, per terras
Motto Translation: By sea, by land.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print