Show ContentsAlyncrome History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Alyncrome

What does the name Alyncrome mean?

The ancient Scottish name Alyncrome was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The original bearer of the name lived in Roxburghshire (Borders) at Ancrum, a small village which had earlier been called Alncromb, which literally meant "a bend in the river Ale."

Early Origins of the Alyncrome family

The surname Alyncrome was first found in Dumbartonshire, where they held a family seat in the lands of Ancrum from about the 11th century. "In 1252 John of Alnecromb appears as witness to a charter by Richard Burnard of Farningham to the monks of Melrose. In 1296 a writ was issued to the sheriff of Roxburgh, ordering him to restore to Richard de Alnecrum his forfeited lands. John de Allyncrum, was Clerk of Register and auditor of accounts in 1358. John de Allynerom, a Scottish merchant, who received in 1361 a safe conduct to England from Edward III is doubtless John of Allyncrum, a prominent burgess of Edinburgh, who, c. 1362, granted his lands of Crageroke to the Church of St. Giles, Edinburgh." 1

Early History of the Alyncrome family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alyncrome research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1358, 1361, 1370, 1567, 1684 and 1781 are included under the topic Early Alyncrome History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alyncrome Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Alyncrome has been spelled Ancram, Ancrum, Ancrumb, Anckrum, Ancromb, Allyncrum, Alncrum, Alyncrome, Allyncom and many more.

Early Notables of the Alyncrome family

  • William Alyncrome, Abbot of Kelso

Migration of the Alyncrome family

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them: William Ancrum who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1766.



The Alyncrome 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: Hold fast


  1. 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)


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