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![Show Contents]() Alters History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
An ancient Scottish tribe called the Boernicians were the first to use the surname Alters. It is a name for a person who was the elder of two people, 1 bearing the same name or the name could have been derived from the Old English "ealdra," meaning "elder." Alternatively, the name could have a nickname for someone who was a "dweller at, or near, an elder tree." 2 Early Origins of the Alters familyThe surname Alters was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area. One of the first records of the family was John Eldar or Eldare de Corstorfin who was burgess of Edinburgh in 1423 and "the surname is also recorded in Aberdeen in 1447. John Elder, a renegade Scot, urged Henry VIII ('Bagcheeks') to invade Scotland, assuring him of the support of the Highland Clans. Andro Elder, was a reidare at Menmure in 1574." 3 Further to the south, "this surname is derived from a nickname 'the elder.' The usual form in the Yorkshire Poll Tax is Senior, and this has become one of the strongly established surnames of that county." However, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 does list Ricardus ye Elder. 4 William atte Nalre, atte Naldhres was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1277 and gain in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1313. 5 Early History of the Alters familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alters research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1542, 1555, 1680, 1700 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Alters History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Alters Spelling VariationsSpelling rules only evolved in the last few centuries with the invention of the printing press and the first dictionaries. Spelling variations are extremely common in names from before that period. Alters has been spelled Elder, Elders, Eldar, MacNoravaich and others. Early Notables of the Alters familyNotable amongst the family at this time was John Elder (fl. 1555), Scottish writer, a native of Caithness who passed twelve years of his life at the universities of St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and Glasgow, and appears to have entered the ministry. "He came to England soon after the death of James V of Scotland in 1542, when he presented to Henry VIII a 'plot' or map of the realm of Scotland, being a...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Alters Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Alters family to Ireland
Some of the Alters family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Alters migration to the United States | + |
After making their great crossing, many Boernician-Scottish families settled along the east coast of North America. When the War of Independence broke out, United Empire Loyalists moved north to Canada while the rest stayed to fight. The ancestors of many of these Scots still populate the continent. This century, through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations, they began to rediscover their collective national heritage. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Alters or a variant listed above:
Alters Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Natys Alters, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 6
- M Elis Alters, who arrived in America in 1837 6
- Cord Alters, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 6
- John H Alters, who landed in New York in 1843 6
- Herm Alters, who arrived in America in 1850 6
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Alters Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Henry Alters, who arrived in Arkansas in 1906 6
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: Virtute duce
Motto Translation: With virtue for guide.
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- 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)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- 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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Alters migration to the United States 
England
Scotland
Ireland
