Ross History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Ross

What does the name Ross mean?

In the mountains of Scotland's west coast and on the Hebrides islands, the ancestors of the Ross family were born. Their name comes from the given name Andrew, which is derived from Anrias, a progenitor of both the Ross Clan and the MacKenzies. Anrias was descended from the O'Beolans, an Irish Gaelic tribe of the sixth and seventh centuries who first brought Christianity to Scotland. The name may also be a nickname derived from the Old English word rouse, which means red or red-haired.

Ross Coat of Arms Creation

In the Ross shield there are three lions, to show that they are of Scottish descent. One branch also had a bend charged with buckles, to show that at one time there must have been an alliance with the Leslies.

The crest most commonly used by the Ross Clan is a hand holding a garland of laurel, and the motto, " Spem successus alit " (Success nourishes hope). 1

Early Origins of the Ross family

The surname Ross was first found in the old monastery of Applecross founded by St. Maelrubha where they were hereditary abbots who later created the Earls of Ross. Their territory was Faster Ross and the first documented Chief was Fearchar Mac ant-Saqairt (a Farquhar), the priest's son, who helped King Alexander II against the old Celtic dynasty. Farquhar joined forces with the King to crush a rebellion in the province of Moray in 1215. Even though he was a direct descendent of the Irish King Niall of the Nine Hostages, he was granted a Norman knighthood by King Alexander and, a few years later, the Earldom of Ross (1234).

At this time, Tain, an early shrine created by St. Dutlac, was the capital of Ross. Now a ruin, it played an important role in Scotland's religious history during the Middle Ages. In the late 15th and early 16th century King James IV made annual pilgrimages there. However, battered by its enemies, and many of its relics destroyed by changing religious influences, the capital was transferred to the town of Dingwall.

Early History of the Ross family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ross research. Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1372, 1390, 1400, 1600, 1656, 1682, 1715, 1745 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ross History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ross Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are a very common occurrence in records of early Scottish names. They result from the repeated and inaccurate translations that many names went through in the course of various English occupations of Scotland. Ross has been spelled Ros, Roose, Ross, Ruse and others.

Early Notables of the Ross family

William, 5th Earl of Ross (died 1372)
Sir Andrew Leslie, though before that event, the Chiefship of the Clan passed to Hugh Ross of Rariches who was the progenitor of the Rosses of Balnagowan
William Ross, 10th Lord Ross of Halkhead (died 1656), a Scottish nobleman
George Ross, 11th Lord Ross of Halkhead (died 1682), a Scottish nobleman and soldier

Ross World Ranking

the United States, the name Ross is the 80^th most popular surname with an estimated 238,752 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Ross is ranked the 38^th most popular surname with an estimated 43,175 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Ross is the 309^th popular surname. 4 Australia ranks Ross as 64^th with 35,042 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Ross as 68^th with 4,908 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Ross as 106^th with 44,509 people. 7 South Africa ranks Ross as 708^th with 9,639 people. 8

Migration of the Ross family to Ireland

Some of the Ross family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ross migration to the United States +

Scottish settlers arrived in many of the communities that became the backbones of the United States and Canada. Many stayed, but some headed west for the endless open country of the prairies. In the American War of Independence, many Scots who remained loyal to England re-settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots across North America were able to recover much of their lost heritage in the 20th century as Clan societies and highland games sprang up across North America. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Rosss to arrive on North American shores:

Ross Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Daniel Ross, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1651 10
Alester Ross, who landed in America in 1652 10

Ross Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andreas Ross, who landed in New York in 1710 10
Charles Ross, who arrived in South Carolina in 1716 10
Christopher Ross, aged 55, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738 10
Jean Ross, who landed in New York, NY in 1738 10
Anneal Ross, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1740-1741 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ross Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Casper Ross, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1802 10
Gerret Ross, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 10
Anna Ross, aged 50, who arrived in New York in 1807 10
John Ross, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1810 10
Eleanor Ross, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1811 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ross migration to Canada +

Ross Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Janet Ross, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1773
Donald Ross, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1773
Christina Ross, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1773
Catherine Ross, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1773
Mr. Donald Ross U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1776 he served in the Royal Regiment of New York 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ross Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Alexander Ross, aged 35, Scottish blacksmith who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1815-1816 with his wife and 5 children
Donald Ross, aged 22, Scottish labourer, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1815-1816
Finlay Ross, aged 50, Scottish shoe maker who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1815-1816 with his wife and 7 children
William Ross, aged 30, Scottish labourer who landed in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1815-1816 with his wife and 3 children 10
James Ross, aged 51, Scottish labourer who landed in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1815-1816 with his wife and 9 children 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ross migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet

Mr. Cockaton "William" Ross, British settler convicted in Cambridgeshire, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Matilda" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 9

Third Fleet

Mr. Alexander Ross, British quartermaster on the Navy support ship for the First Fleet the "HMS Sirius" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788
Mr. Peter Ross, British gunner on the Navy support ship for the First Fleet the "HMS Sirius" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788

Following the Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Ross Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Ross, (b. 1785), aged 22, English weaver who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1834 12
Mr. James Ross, Scottish labourer who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. John Ross, British Convict who was convicted in Inverness, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mr.Thomas Ross, (b. 1798), aged 21, Irish shoe maker who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Bencoolen" on 24th April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia before being transferred to Tasmania via the "Admiral Cockburn" 15
Mr. Charles Ross, (Aledander), (b. 1801), aged 19, British clerk who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for passing forged notes, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1848 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ross migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ross Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Ross, aged 21, a blacksmith, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blenheim" in 1840
Robert Ross, aged 23, a baker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841
Mary Ross, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841
James Ross, aged 37, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
Catherine Ross, aged 36, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ross (post 1700) +

Diana Ross (b. 1944), American singer, songwriter, and actress, founding member and lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
John Robert "Haj" Ross (1938-2025), American poet and linguist, professor of linguistics at MIT from 1966 to 1985
Dorothy Ross (1936-2024), American historian, Arthur O. Lovejoy Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University, known for her books G. Stanley Hall: The Psychologist as Prophet (1972) and The Origins of American Social Science (1991), eponym of the Dorothy Ross Prize
Douglas George "Doug" Ross (1951-2022), American college ice hockey player, 1976 USA Olympic hockey player and former college ice hockey head coach
Donald Kemp Ross (1943-2022), American public interest lawyer who proposed the model of Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGS) with Ralph Nader
Lee David Ross (1942-2021), Canadian-born, American Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University
Annabelle Allan "Annie" Ross (1930-2020), British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
Lillian Ross (1918-2017), born Lillian Rosovsky, an American journalist and author, staff writer at The New Yorker from 1945
Arthur Ross (1910-2007), American businessman and philanthropist
... (Another 37 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ross family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. William Ross (d. 1914), British Greaser from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17
Mr. Thomas Ross (1889-1914), American Third Class Passenger from Detroit, Michigan, United States who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
Miss Eileen Ross (1910-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 18
Master Clifford Ross (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 19
Master Freddie Ross (1912-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 19
... (Another 32 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Ross 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: Spem successus alit
Motto Translation: Success nourishes hope

Sources +

Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bencoolen
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance