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Southerland History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Southerland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The ancestors of the Southerland family were part of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. They lived in the county of Sutherland in the north of Scotland. The name was derived from Old Norse suðr or "south" land, due to the area being south of Scandinavia and the Norse colonies in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The Earls of Orkney referred to the Dales of Caithness as the Southland, even though they are in the more northern parts of Scotland. It was here that the great Lords of Freskin held their territory in the 11th century. They later intermarried with the great and royal house of Moray; hence, the three stars on the Sutherland coat of arms.

Early Origins of the Southerland family

The surname Southerland was first found in Caithness (Gaelic: Gallaibh), the northern tip of Scotland, a Norse/Viking controlled region from the 9th century, which became the Earldom of Caithness, where they held a family seat from the 11th century. Their early Clan chiefs were styled the Lords of Freskin in the Dales of Caithness.

"The founder of the clan of Sutherland settled in the XII. century in the province of Murref, Moray, or Moravia, comprehending the modern counties of Murray or Elgin, and parts of Inverness and Banff, whence the family for several generations assumed the name of Murref or De Moravia, which they retained even after their occupation of Sudrland or Sutherland, and their elevation to that earldom." 1

As the name was originally of territorial origin from the province of Moray, early records of the family referenced that territory. "William de Moravia (lord of Petty) was witness to a royal charter to the Abbey of Holyrood, 1203. A little earlier he appears as William, son of Freskin. Hucting de Moravia witnessed confirmation of sale of the land of Scrogges, c. 1208-13 and Malcolm de Moravia witnessed gift of a mark of silver annually to the Abbey of Arbroath, c. 1250." 2

Early History of the Southerland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Southerland research. Another 440 words (31 lines of text) covering the years 1211, 1333, 1389, 1598, 1601, 1639, 1674, 1676, 1682, 1705, 1710, 1719, 1734, 1745, 1759, 1768 and 1794 are included under the topic Early Southerland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Southerland Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Southerland include Sutherland, Sutherlan, Suderland and many more.

Early Notables of the Southerland family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Alexander Sutherland, 1st Lord Duffus (d. 1674); James Sutherland, 2nd Lord Duffus (d. 1705); Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Southerland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Southerland Ranking

In the United States, the name Southerland is the 3,697^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Southerland migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Southerland:

Southerland Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alex Southerland, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 4
Gil Southerland, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 4
Gilbert Southerland, who landed in Virginia in 1655 4
Robert Southerland, who arrived in Virginia in 1684 4

Southerland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David A Southerland, who landed in Arkansas in 1891 4

Southerland 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:

Southerland Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Rev. Southerland, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Trevelyan" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 28th March 1874 5
Mr. Southerland, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Trevelyan" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 28th March 1874 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Southerland (post 1700) +

Brannan Southerland (b. 1985), American NFL fullback for the New York Jets
William Henry Hudson Southerland (1852-1933), American rear admiral in the United States Navy, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, eponym of the USS Southerland (DD-743)
Steve Southerland (b. 1955), American politician, member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
James J. Southerland, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
James Julien "Pug" Southerland II (1911-1949), United States Navy fighter pilot during World War II, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross (2), the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit and the Purple Heart

The Southerland 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: Sans peur
Motto Translation: Without fear.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html