Arrath History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The Arrath family saga is rooted in the people of the Pictish Clan of ancient Scotland. The Arrath family lived in the lands of Arrat, near Brechin in Angus. While the name is quite rare there now, in the middle of the 16th century, the name was quite well known.

Early Origins of the Arrath family

The surname Arrath was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire, where they held a family seat from very early times, some say from about the 11th century. William of Arrath held the lands of Arrat in Brechin in Angus about 1250.

Early History of the Arrath family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arrath research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1264, 1296, 1378, 1473, 1528 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Arrath History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arrath Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Arrath include Arath, Arrath, Arat, Aratt, Aratts, Arratt, Arrat, Arrot, Arroth, Arrott, Arrothe, Arrathe, Arrade and many more.

Early Notables of the Arrath family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Richard of Arrath

Migration of the Arrath family

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Arrath: Leonard Aratts and his wife who settled in Pennsylvania in 1683; John Arett who settled in Virginia in 1634; D. Arratt landed in New York State in 1822.

The Arrath 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: Antiquum assero decus
Motto Translation: I claim ancient honour.