Carlaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the first family to use the name Carlaw lived among the ancient Scottish people called the Picts. The Carlaw family lived in Aberdeen (part of the modern Grampian region), where the name can be found since very early times.

Early Origins of the Carlaw family

The surname Carlaw was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say before the Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Carlaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carlaw research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1493, 1592, 1638, 1619, 1633, 1638, 1575, 1647, 1575, 1675, 1747 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Carlaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carlaw Spelling Variations

In the Middle ages, spelling and translation were not yet regulated by any general rules. spelling variations in names were common even among members of one family unit. Carlaw has appeared Carle, Carley, Carlley, Carrley, Carlie, Carleigh, Carlea, Carlee, Carrlie, Carlies, Carleys, Carleas, Carlay, Carley, Carrlay, Carrley, Carrleys, Karley and many more.

Early Notables of the Carlaw family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Hippolitus Curle (1592-1638), Scottish Jesuit, son of Gilbert Curle, Secretary to Mary Queen of Scots, by his wife, Barbara Mowbray. "He studied in the Scotch seminary at Douay, and entered the Society of Jesus at Tournai. During the second year of his noviceship his aunt, Elizabeth Curle, died at Antwerp (29 March 1619), leaving him sixty thousand florins. The bulk of this fortune he devoted to the use of the seminary at Douay, of which he is...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carlaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Carlaw family to Ireland

Some of the Carlaw family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carlaw migration to the United States +

Faced by this persecution and the generally unstable political climate of those days, many Scots chose to leave their homeland for Ireland, Australia, and North America in search of greater opportunity and freedom. The colonies across the Atlantic were the most popular choice, but a passage there was neither cheap nor easily suffered. Passengers arrived sick and poor, but those who made it intact often found land and more tolerant societies in which to live. These brave settlers formed the backbone of the burgeoning nations of Canada and the United States. It is only this century that the ancestors of these families have begun to recover their collective identity through the patriotic highland games and Clan societies that have sprung up throughout North America. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Carlaw:

Carlaw Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Carlaw, who arrived in Frederick County, Maryland in 1798 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Carlaw (post 1700) +

Captain Walter Macfarlane Carlaw DFC (b. 1899), Scottish flying ace during World War I credited with 12 confirmed aerial victories
Jackson Carlaw (b. 1959), Scottish Conservative politician, Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservatives (2011-)
Arthur Carlaw, New Zealand rugby league player who played from 1908 to 1913, member of the New Zealand National Team (1909-1913)
James Carlaw (b. 1854), English-born, New Zealand rugby league administrator, eponym of Carlaw Park, Auckland, brother of Arthur Carlaw
John Carlaw (b. 1975), Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played from 1997 to 2004
Dane Carlaw (b. 1980), Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played from 1999 to 2011, member of the Australia National Team (2001-2013)

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)