Kairns History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe ancestors of the Kairns family lived among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. Kairns is a name for someone who lived in Midlothian. The name Kairns is also derived from the Gaelic word carn, which means pile of stones, and referred to the stone burial chambers we now call cairns. 1 Early Origins of the Kairns familyThe surname Kairns was first found in Midlothian, in the lands of Cairns in the parish of Mid-Calder. "The first of the name recorded is William de Carnys, who appears as a charter witness in 1349. Though this is the earliest mention of the name in record there must have been many of the surname living at an earlier date, as in the latter half of the fourteenth century many individuals of the name are mentioned in documents referring to the adjoining counties of Midlothian and West Lothian. In 1363 William de Carnys and his son, Duncan de Carnys, had a charter of the baronies of Esterquytburne and Westirquitburne from David II. Two years later David de Carnys appears as a bailie of Edinburgh." 2 Early History of the Kairns familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kairns research. Another 271 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1372, 1386, 1395, 1401, 1406, 1408, 1418, 1430, 1431, 1452, 1454, 1455, 1503, 1572, 1639, 1665, 1669, 1673, 1703, 1707, 1732, 1743 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kairns History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Kairns Spelling VariationsSpelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Kairns has been spelled Cairns, Cairn, Kairnes, Carnys and others. Early Notables of the Kairns familyMore information is included under the topic Early Kairns Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Kairns family to IrelandSome of the Kairns family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them: Kairns Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
|