Contents [hide]

Annan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Annan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The ancient Scottish name Annan was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The original bearer of the name lived in Dumfriesshire at Annan or Annandale.

Early Origins of the Annan family

The surname Annan was first found in Dumfriesshire where the first records of the family were "William de Anand [who] witnessed a grant of two camcates in the fee of Egilfechan to Robert de Brus, 1249, and John de Anand was cleric of William, bishop of Glasgow, 1255." 1

"A family of this name, prominent in Angus from at least the thirteenth century, derived their name from the lands of Inyaney or Aneny now called Ananias. In old records the place name appears as Annand, Annane, Annanie, Inyaney, Inieneny, Inyoney, Invanee, Inneane, and Inianey. Adam de Anand, canon of Dunkeld, who witnessed charters by Gamelin, bishop of St. Andrews, between 1255—1271, is perhaps first of the name recorded. He is probably A, de Anand, rector of Monimail, 1269. William de Anaund of Forfarshire rendered homage in 1296." 1

Early History of the Annan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Annan research. Another 205 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1249, 1255, 1328, 1388, 1389, 1551, 1633, 1638, 1651 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Annan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Annan Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Annan has been spelled Annan, Annand, Annandale, Annardale, Annadaill, Annane, Annanie, Inyaney, Innieney, Inyoney, Inyanee, Aneny and many more.

Early Notables of the Annan family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

William Annand, Bishop of Glasgow in 1255
Henry Annand, Sheriff of Clackmannan in 1328, the town of Annan in Dumfriesshire took its name from the Clan

Annan migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were:

Annan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Annan, who landed in New Jersey in 1718 2
Robert Annan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1761 2
David Annan, who arrived in New Jersey in 1776 2

Annan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan C Annan, aged 28, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
J. L. Annan, who arrived in San Francisco, California, in 1850
W C Annan, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
William Annan, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1875 with his brother

Annan migration to Australia +

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

Annan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Annan, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. William Annan, (b. 1824), aged 25, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Duchess of Northum" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 15th January 1849 4
Mr. William Annan, (b. 1824), aged 25 , Cornish miner departing from Plymouth on 10th October 1848 aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland" arriving in Port Phillip, Cornwall, UK on 15th January 1849 5

Annan 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:

Annan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Annan, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Bruce" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 12th September 1860 6
Miss Jane Annan, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Annan (post 1700) +

James Annan, American climatologist
Daniel Annan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1888 8
Mrs. Andrew A. Annan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1924 (alternate), 1936 8
Kofi Atta Annan (1938-2018), Ghanaian diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006
Alyson Regina Annan (b. 1973), Australian Olympic Gold medal winning field hockey player
Noel Gilroy Annan (1916-2000), Baron Annan, English member of the House of Lords and British academic
Anthony Annan (b. 1986), Ghanaian international footballer
Alexander Annan Adams (1908-1990), English Air Vice Marshall during Word War II

The Annan 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: Sperabo
Motto Translation: I will hope.

Citations +

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)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html