Ankus History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland
• Ireland

Etymology of Ankus

The Clan from whom the Ankus family descends began among the ancient Dalriadan kingdom of the west coast of Scotland. Their name comes from the personal name Angus. The Gaelic form of the name, Mac Aonguis, translates as son of Angus. Angus refers to the Pictish King Onnust who died in the year 761.

While there are no direct links with this King in the history of the Clan or surname, there is a conjectural line, which may be adopted. The lands descended into the Barony of Innes in the County of Elginshire. However, the son or sons of Angus, originally from the Kingdom of Dalriada, were one of the three kindred houses, of the kingdom, the other two houses being the Gabran (the largest) and Lornetach which provided fighting men for the defense of the Kingdom of early Scots. For every twenty homes owned, they were obliged to provide two galleys, and so Angus, having 430 houses, provided a fleet of approximately forty galleys for the defense of the waters of Dalriada, generally those estuaries around the mouth of the Clyde.

Early Origins of the Ankus family

Early History of the Ankus family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ankus research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1358 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ankus History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ankus Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Ankus include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include MacInnes, MacInnis, MacAngus and many more.

Early Notables of the Ankus family

More information is included under the topic Early Ankus Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ankus family to Ireland

Some of the Ankus family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 71 words (5 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 Ankus family

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Duncan McInnes, who settled in Philadelphia in 1798; Thomas and Helen McInnes, who settled in Boston in 1849; John McInnis who settled in South Carolina in 1716.