Cattanach History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of Cattanach

What does the name Cattanach mean?

The saga of the Cattanach family name begins among the people of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Cattanach name is derived from the Gaelic Cattanaich which means belonging to the Chattan or the Clan of the Cat. In Gaelic, the surname is known as Catan, but through Anglicization, the name becomes Cattanach and others.

Early Origins of the Cattanach family

The surname Cattanach was first found in Inverness, 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.

Early History of the Cattanach family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cattanach research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1600 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Cattanach History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cattanach Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Cattanach has appeared Cattanach, Cattenach, Cattenoch, Catan, Catanoch and others.

Early Notables of the Cattanach family

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

Cattanach migration to Australia +

Cattanach Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss. Margaret Cattanach, British Convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 9th March 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Cattanach (post 1700) +

John Leckie Cattanach (1863-1926), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played in 1884 for the Providence Grays and the St. Louis Maroons
David Cattanach (1946-2022), Scottish footballer who played in 58 matches for Stirling Albion, Celtic and Falkirk in the Scottish Football League (1962-1974)
Dr. John Cattanach (1885-1915), Scottish shinty player for Newtonmore in the 1900s, the only shinty player inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Brigadier Helen Cattanach CB, RRC (1920-1994), Scottish Matron in Chief of army Nursing Services, awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal, 1963, Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John, 1971, Colonel Commandant QARANC in 1978
George James Cattanach (1878-1954), Canadian gold medalist lacrosse player who competed at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Robert "Robbie" Cattanach (b. 1984), Australian footballer who plays for Canberra Olympic

The Cattanach 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: Touch not the cat

Sources +

Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1847