Show ContentsCoute History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Pictish clans of ancient Scotland were the ancestors of the first people to use the name Coute. It comes from in Cults in Aberdeenshire where the name can be found since very early times.

Early Origins of the Coute family

The surname Coute was first found in Aberdeenshire. The name is "a common surname in Upper Deeside. Richard de Cotis appears as a landowner in Elgyn, 1343. In 1392 John de Cowtis and Donald de Cowtis were put to the horn as part guilty of the slaughter of Sir Walter de Ogilvy, sheriff of Angus and others. The principal family of the name was established in the earldom of Mar, Aberdeenshire, by a Crown charter in 1433, of the lands of Ochtercoull or Auchtercoul in favor of William Coutts, his brother Alexander, their cousin John, and his brother Alexander." [1]

Early History of the Coute family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coute research. Another 439 words (31 lines of text) covering the years 1348, 1392, 1411, 1434, 1470, 1473, 1478, 1483, 1525, 1526, 1529, 1531, 1553, 1555, 1566, 1567, 1583, 1640, 1672, 1699, 1735, 1742, 1750 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Coute History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coute Spelling Variations

Translation has done much to alter the appearance of many Scottish names. It was a haphazard process that lacked a basic system of rules. Spelling variations were a common result of this process. Coute has appeared Coutts, Couts, Coots, Cootes, Coutt, Cout, Coot, Coote and many more.

Early Notables of the Coute family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was John Coutts (1699-1750), a British merchant and banker, Lord Provost of Edinburgh in 1742. He was the "eldest son of Patrick Coutts, a tradesman in Edinburgh, and formerly of Montrose, by his wife, Christina Smith, was born on 28 July 1699. He entered into business as commission agent and dealer in grain, and rapidly acquiring capital became a negotiator of bills, a business which the banks...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coute Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Coute migration to the United States +

Many Scots left their country to travel to the North American colonies in search of the freedom they could not find at home. Of those who survived the difficult voyage, many found the freedom they so desired. There they could choose their own beliefs and allegiances. Some became United Empire Loyalists and others fought in the American War of Independence. The Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up in the last century have allowed many of these disparate Scots to recover their collective national identity. A search of immigration and passenger ship lists revealed many early settlers bearing the Coute name:

Coute Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Alex Coute, who landed in Virginia in 1658 [2]
Coute Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joseph Coute, who arrived in Virginia in 1716 [2]


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. 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)


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