Show ContentsEckert History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Eckert is a name whose ancestors lived among the Picts, a tribe in ancient Scotland. The Eckert family lived in the old barony of Urquhart, which is located on Loch Ness in the county of Inverness.

Early Origins of the Eckert family

The surname Eckert was first found in Elginshire a former county in northeastern Scotland, in the present day Scottish Council Area of Moray, where Galleroch de Urchart "who lived temp. Alexander II" 1 was granted lands in Cromarty, and Inverness. He held a family seat at the Castle of Urquhart in 1214. "His descendants were "hereditary sheriffs of Cromarty." 1

Early History of the Eckert family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eckert research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1114, 1306, 1358, 1611, 1650, 1660 and 1759 are included under the topic Early Eckert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eckert Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Eckert has been spelled Urquhart, Urquhard, Urchard, Orchard and many more.

Early Notables of the Eckert family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir Thomas Urquhart (Urchard) of Cromarty (1611-c.1660), a Scottish writer and translator, most famous for his translation of Rabelais. Down in London, Thomas Urquhart (fl. 1650?), was a "noted violin-maker and was distinguished...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Eckert Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eckert Ranking

In the United States, the name Eckert is the 2,078th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Eckert is ranked the 4,351st most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Eckert family to Ireland

Some of the Eckert family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Eckert migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Eckert:

Eckert Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henrich Eckert, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 4
  • Gertrude Eckert, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 4
  • Jurian William Eckert, aged 36, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 4
  • Joseph Eckert, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 4
  • Johan Peter Eckert, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Eckert Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Wilh Eckert, who landed in America in 1807 4
  • Michel Eckert, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 4
  • John G Eckert, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1843 4
  • Ludwig Eckert, Jr., who arrived in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Dyle Soomes" 4
  • William Eckert, aged 29, who arrived in Missouri in 1845 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Eckert migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Eckert Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Eckert, who landed in Canada in 1831

Contemporary Notables of the name Eckert (post 1700) +

  • Allan Wesley Eckert (1931-2011), American historian, historical novelist, and naturalist from Buffalo, New York
  • Thomas Thompson Eckert (1825-1910), American officer in the U.S. Army, Chief of the War Department Telegraph Staff (1862–1867), United States Assistant Secretary of War (1865–1867)
  • Wallace John Eckert (1902-1971), American astronomer
  • William Dole "Spike" Eckert (1909-1971), American Lieutenant General in the U.S. Air Force, and 4th commissioner of Major League Baseball (1965-1968)
  • John Adam Presper "Pres" Eckert (1919-1995), American electrical engineer, inventor of early computers, inventor of the first general-purpose electronic digital computer (ENIAC) and designed the first commercial computer in the U.S., the UNIVAC
  • Beverly Eckert (1952-2009), American 9/11 widow, member of 9/11 Family Steering Committee
  • George Eckert, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Harwinton; Elected 1908 5
  • Fred J. Eckert (b. 1941), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Senate 54th District, 1973-82; U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, 1982-84; Kiribati, 1982-84; Tonga, 1982-84; Tuvalu, 1982-84 5
  • Denver M. Eckert, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1964 5
  • Charles Richard Eckert (1868-1959), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1928; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 26th District, 1935-39; Defeated, 1938 5
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bismarck
  • Erwin Eckert (1921-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6


Suggested Readings for the name Eckert +

  • Eckert Record: Story of George Bernhardt Eckert and His Descendants, 1793-1957 by Estella Martmann.
  • The Eckerts in the Flush, Pottawatomie County, Kansas Area: The Descendants of George Eckert and Barbara Ebenhoh, the Descendants of Barbara Eckert and John Weixelman by Anna Eckart Elbert.

  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details


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