Finlater History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Finlater

What does the name Finlater mean?

The saga of the Finlater family begins among the people of the ancient tribe of the Picts. They lived on the lands of Findlater in Banffshire where the family has a long and distinguished history dating back to the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Finlater family

The surname Finlater was first found in Banffshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhanbh), former Scottish county located in the northeasterly Grampian region of Scotland, now of divided between the Council Areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire, 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 Finlater family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Finlater research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1366 is included under the topic Early Finlater History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finlater Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. Finlater has been written Findlater, Finlater, Finlator, Finlaytor, Findlayter and many more.

Early Notables of the Finlater family

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

Migration of the Finlater family to Ireland

Some of the Finlater family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finlater migration to the United States +

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name Finlater:

Finlater Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Finlater, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 1

The Finlater 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: Sit mihi libertas
Motto Translation: Liberty be mine.

Sources +

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)