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Somerlad is an ancient Viking-Scottish name for a the Old Norse word sumarlithi, which means mariner, Viking, summer wanderer, or sailor.
The surname Somerlad was first found in the island of South Uist, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Descended from Somerled, King of the Vikings, scion of the MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, who died about 1057.
The first record of the name Somerled being used as a name was at Dunkeld, and the link between this person in 1169 and Somerled who had died 100 years before is not clear.
Another source notes that Sumerled or Somerled, Lord of the Isles (d. 1164), was "according to the Celtic tradition, the son of Gillebrede, son of Gilladoman, sixth in descent from Godfrey MacFergus, called in the Irish chronicle Toshach of the Isles; but some suppose him of Norse origin. " 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Somerlad research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1238 and 1400 are included under the topic Early Somerlad History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sound and intuition were the main things that scribes in the Middle Ages relied on when spelling and translating names. Since those factors varied, so did the spelling of the names. Spelling variations of the name Somerlad include Somerled, M'Illurdy, M'Corle, M'Coull, Somerledy and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Somerlad Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In North America, the monarchy was thousands of miles away and Scots were free to settle on their own land and practice their own beliefs. The American War of Independence provided an opportunity for these settlers to pay back the English monarchy and forge a new nation. Recently, this heritage has survived through North American highland games and Clan societies. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Somerlad or a variant listed above: