Eskin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

It was in the Scottish/English Borderlands that the Strathclyde-Briton people first used the ancient name Eskin. It was a name for someone who lived on the Clyde river, near Glasgow. The town name comes from the Gaelic air an sgian, meaning "upon the knife." According to legend, a Scotsman under the command of Malcolm II uttered that phrase after slaying a Danish leader at the Battle of Murthill.

Early Origins of the Eskin family

The surname Eskin was first found in at Erskine in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland.

In the year 1225, King Alexander II granted Henry de Erskine, who held the baroncy of Erskine, lands in Renfrewshire. Sir John Ireskin also swore an oath of allegiance to King Edward I of England in 1296. Members of the Erskine family appear in many other documents and records dating from throughout the 13th century and afterward.

A few of the more interesting records show that Henry de Erskyn bore official witness to the Earl of Lennox's grant of a church to the Abbey of Paisley, and that in 1491, Robert Erschin held the office of Canon of Glasgow. 1

Early History of the Eskin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eskin research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1552, 1558, 1572, 1592, 1615, 1616, 1624, 1634, 1662, 1671, 1677, 1685, 1695, 1696, 1715, 1743, 1768 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Eskin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eskin Spelling Variations

Scribes in Medieval Scotland spelled names by sound rather than any set of rules, so an enormous number of spelling variations exist in names of that era. Eskin has been spelled Erskine, Arskine, Arskin, Erskin, Irskine, Hirskine, Ersken and many more.

Early Notables of the Eskin family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine (died 1552), a Scottish nobleman; John Erskine, 17th Earl of Mar (died 1572), Regent of Scotland; John Erskine, 2nd Earl of Mar (ca.1558-1634), Scottish politician; William Erskine (died 1685), Master of Charterhouse Hospital; Alexander Erskine of Gogar, (died 1592), Scottish laird and keeper of James VI of Scotland at Stirling Castle; Lady Margaret Erskine (died 1572), a mistress of King James V...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Eskin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Eskin family to Ireland

Some of the Eskin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 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 Eskin family

The number of Strathclyde Clan families sailing for North America increased steadily as the persecution continued. In the colonies, they could find not only freedom from the iron hand of the English government, but land to settle on. The American War of Independence allowed many of these settlers to prove their independence, while some chose to go to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots played essential roles in the forging of both great nations. Among them: William Erskin arrived in New York State in 1803; Thomas Erskine settled in New England in 1773; John, Richard and William Erskine arrived in Philadelphia in 1876..

Contemporary Notables of the name Eskin (post 1700) +

Jules Eskin (1931-2016), American principal cellist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Darryl Eskin, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 2004 2
Babs Eskin, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2000 2

The Eskin 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: Je pense plus
Motto Translation: I think more.

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html