Meiklejohn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Meiklejohn comes from the Middle English word "meikle," meaning "great," or "large," combined with the personal name John. As such it was probably originally a nickname for the bigger of two men named John.
Early Origins of the Meiklejohn family
The surname Meiklejohn was first found in Liddesdale, but in later centuries the name was fairly numerous on the northern side of Firth of Forth from Stirling to Dunfermline.
Early History of the Meiklejohn family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meiklejohn research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1621, 1625, 1630, 1638, 1643 and 1644 are included under the topic Early Meiklejohn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Meiklejohn Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Meiklejohn, Mieklejohn, Miclejohn, Miclejones, Mikiljone, Meiclejones and many more.
Early Notables of the Meiklejohn family
Notable amongst the family at this time was
Meiklejohn migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Meiklejohn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Hugh Meiklejohn, who arrived in North Carolina in 1800 1
Meiklejohn migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Meiklejohn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. David Meiklejohn who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 1st October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2
- Mr. Andrew Meiklejohn, (Wilson), Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Meiklejohn migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
4Meiklejohn Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
- John Meiklejohn, aged 32, who settled in Barbados in 1745
Contemporary Notables of the name Meiklejohn (post 1700) +
- Alexander Meiklejohn (1872-1964), English-born, American philosopher, university administrator, and free-speech advocate, Dean of Brown University and President of Amherst College, featured on the 1928 Time Magazine, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Ben Meiklejohn (b. 1971), American politician from Maine
- William Meiklejohn, eponym of Meiklejohn Stadium, University of Pennsylvania
- George de Rue Meiklejohn (1857-1929), Nebraska Republican politician, fifth Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska
- George de Rue Meiklejohn (1857-1929), American Republican politician, Member of Nebraska State Senate, 1885-88; Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, 1889-91; U.S. Representative from Nebraska 3rd District, 1893-97 5
- Andrew G. Meiklejohn, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Washington County 2nd District, 1864 5
- Brigadier-General William Hope Meiklejohn CB, CMG, British military commander
- Major Matthew Fontaine Maury Meiklejohn VC (1870-1913), British recipient of the Victoria Cross
Historic Events for the Meiklejohn family +
- Mr. Adam Meiklejohn (1875-1914), Scottish Miner from Oakley, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom who worked in the Hillcrest Coal Mine, Alberta, Canada and died in the mine collapse 6
The Meiklejohn 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: Vincit veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers.
Citations +
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- List Of Miners - Hillcrest Mine Disaster Data. (Retrieved 2014, June 24) . Retrieved from http://www.hillcrestminedisaster.com/data/index.php?title=List_Of_Miners