Show ContentsRangan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The west coast of Scotland and the rocky Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Rangan family. The root of their name is the personal name Randolph, with the addition of the diminutive suffix -kin.

Early Origins of the Rangan family

The surname Rangan was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire.

"There is a tradition of descent from one John, son of a knight called Jacob de Rankine, burgomaster of Ghent, who married a daughter of the head of the house of Keith, and became progenitor of the Rankines. " 1 This tradition is difficult to prove but was nevertheless authored by M. H. Rankin, Esq.

Early History of the Rangan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rangan research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1587, 1600, 1629, 1672, 1719 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rangan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rangan Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were not standardized practices until the last few centuries. Spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Rangan has been spelled Rankin, Ranken, Ranking, Rankene, Rankine and others.

Early Notables of the Rangan family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Lieutenant John Rankin (ca 1600s), British Royal Navy, eponym of Rankin Inlet, Canada. Alexander Ramkins (c.1672-1719) was a Scottish adherent of James II, born...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rangan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Rangan family to Ireland

Some of the Rangan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rangan family

Numerous Scottish settlers settled along the east coast of the colonies that would become the United States and Canada. Others traveled to the open country of the west. At the time of the American War of Independence, some remained in the United States, while those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The highland games and Clan societies that sprang up across North America in the 20th century have helped many Scots to recover parts of their lost traditions. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Rangans to arrive in North America: Lawlin Rankin, who settled in Virginia in 1650; Andrew Rankin settled in New England in 1651; Alexander Rankin settled in Boston in 1764; Alexander, Andrew, David, Henry, Hugh, James, John, Robert, Thomas and William Rankin all arrived in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1870..



The Rangan 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: Fortiter et recte
Motto Translation: Boldly and rightly.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.


Houseofnames.com on Facebook