Show ContentsAndresoun History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

On the Scottish west coast, the Andresoun family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the given name Andrew. The given name Andrew is derived from the Greek name Andreas, which means man or manly. The first reference to the given name Andrew was a monk of Dunfermline, who later became the Bishop of Caithness in the reign of David I. The first references to the surname appeared in the 13th century. In 1296, David le fiz Andreu was recorded as a burgess of Peebles, and Duncan fiz Andreu of Dumfries was recorded as taking an oath of fealty. 1

The Andersons held territories in Moidart, but later moved to Badenoch in the early 14th century. The most prominent branches of the Andersons were the Dowhills, West Ardbrecks and Candacraigs in Strathdon.

Early Origins of the Andresoun family

The surname Andresoun was first found in the Great Glen and Strathspey, where the Andresoun family is descended from Mac Ghille Andreis, servant of St. Andrew, Scotland's Patron Saint. They are regarded as a sept of Clan Chattan and have been associated with this Confederation of Clans from the 15th century.

Not withstanding the aforementioned Scottish ancestry, it should now be mentioned that some of the family moved south into England at early times in their history. By example, we need to mention the manor in the parish of Eyworth in Bedfordshire. "The manor belonged at an early period to the Leybourns, and was afterwards in the families of Charlton and Francis; in the reign of Elizabeth, Eyworth was the property and seat of Sir Edmund Anderson, lord chief justice of the common pleas, one of the judges who sat at the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots. The church contains some interesting monuments to the Andersons and others." 2

Early History of the Andresoun family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Andresoun research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1515, 1620, 1668, 1710, 1721, 1726, 1796 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Andresoun History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Andresoun Spelling Variations

In various documents Andresoun has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Anderson, Andison, Andersonne, Andersoun, Andirsoone, Andresoun, Androson, Andirston, Andrewson and many more.

Early Notables of the Andresoun family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was John Androsone, burgess of Edinburgh in 1515; David and Alexander Anderson of Finshaugh, who made great contributions in the world of mathematics; Lionel Albert Anderson (c. 1620-1710), an English Dominican...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Andresoun Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Andresoun family to Ireland

Some of the Andresoun family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 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 Andresoun family

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Thomas Anderson, who settled in Virginia in 1634; as did Joseph Anderson and Richard Anderson in 1635; Alester Anderson, who came to New England in 1652.



  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.


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