Show ContentsElgin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Elgin family

The surname Elgin was first found in Morayshire, where they held a family seat in their territories. The Pictish influence on Scottish history diminished after Kenneth Macalpine became King of all Scotland. But those east coast families still played an important role in government and were more accessible to Government than their western highland counterparts. The family derived their surname from the county town of Moray on the river Lossie. The first on record were Alexander and Augustine de Elgin in the year 1211.

Early History of the Elgin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elgin research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1317, 1328 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Elgin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elgin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Elgin, Ellgin, Elgyn, Ellgyn, Elkin, Elkyn and others.

Early Notables of the Elgin family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

  • the Elgin family of Morayshire

Elgin Ranking

In the United States, the name Elgin is the 9,034th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Elgin migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Elgin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • George Elgin, who settled in Maryland in 1708
  • James Elgin, who settled in Virginia in 1774
  • Mary Elgin, who settled in Philadelphia in 1787
Elgin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Elgin, aged 10, who landed in Delaware in 1803 [2]
  • Kelsin Elgin, aged 33, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1849 [2]

Canada Elgin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Elgin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mathew Elgin, who settled in Quebec in 1851
  • Jemimah M. Elgin, who settled in Ontario in 1871

Contemporary Notables of the name Elgin (post 1700) +

  • Mike Elgin (b. 1983), former American football offensive lineman
  • Duane Elgin (b. 1943), American author, speaker, educator, consultant, and media activist
  • Mikhail Nikolayevich Elgin (b. 1981), Russian professional tennis player
  • Michael Elgin (b. 1986), ring name of Aaron Frobel, a Canadian professional wrestler
  • Suzette Haden Elgin, Science fiction author and linguist
  • Robert Elgin McKinley (1928-2022), Canadian politician from Zurich, Ontario, Member of Parliament for Huron (1965-1974), Member of Parliament for Huron-Middlesex (1974-1979)
  • Ian Elgin Macfarlane (b. 1955), Australian politician, Minister for Industry (2013-)
  • Floyd Elgin Dominy (1909-2010), American politician, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner (1959 to 1969)
  • Richard Elgin McGarvie AC, KStJ, QC (1926-2003), Australian judge in the Supreme Court of Victoria, 24th Governor of Victoria (1992 to 1997), eponym of the McGarvie Model, a proposition for change to the Australian Constitution
  • Horace Elgin Dodge Jr. (1900-1963), American Republican politician, Founder, Dodge Boat Works, 1923; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1924 [3]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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