Contents [hide]

Strain History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Strain History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Early Origins of the Strain family

The surname Strain was first found in Kincardineshire (Gaelic: A' Mhaoirne), a former county on the northeast coast of the Grampian region of Scotland, and part of the Aberdeenshire Council Area since 1996, where the family sometimes spelled their Strachen or Straughan.

The family derive their name from the valley of the Aan (Strath Aan). The earliest record of the Clan was in 1057 AD, when they accompanied King Malcolm Canmore northward in his attempt to overthrow the King MacBeth after his usurpation of the Scottish throne.

The Clan Strachan was one of the major Clans participating in the Battle of Lumphanen, 25 miles west of Aberdeen. MacBeth died in the Battle on the 15th day of August, 1057 AD. MacBeth's Cairn may still be seen there to this day. Later in 1165 AD, a Walderus de Strathecan had extensive territories in the lands of Strachan (pronounced Stawn, but many in North America have now reverted to the original pronunciation of Stracken).

Early History of the Strain family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Strain research. Another 271 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1200, 1268, 1278, 1342, 1361, 1400, 1463, 1600, 1650, 1651, 1652, 1662, 1671, 1684, 1760, 1777, 1799, 1828 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Strain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Strain Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Strachan, Strawn, Strachen, Straughan, Straghan and many more.

Early Notables of the Strain family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was David Strachan (died 1671), Church of Scotland prelate, Bishop of Brechin (1662-1671).Archibald Strachan (died 1652) was a Scottish soldier from Musselburgh, Edinburghshire who fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, reaching the rank of Colonel. He was excommunicated at Perth on 12 January 1651; in April he was declared a traitor and his goods were...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Strain Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Strain Ranking

In the United States, the name Strain is the 3,399^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Strain family to Ireland

Some of the Strain family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Strain migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Strain Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William, Hugh, Mary, John, James, and Jane Strain all, who settled in New England in 1805
Jane Strain, who arrived in America in 1805 2
James Strain, who landed in America in 1805 2
John Strain, who arrived in America in 1805 2
Hugh Strain, who arrived in America in 1805 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Strain migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Strain Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Strain, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for life, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Mr. James Strain, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 4
James Strain, aged 32, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Omega" 5

Strain 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:

Strain Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Hephzibah Strain, (b. 1845), aged 22, European dairymaid travelling from London aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" sailing to Auckland and Lyttelton, New Zealand on 29th July 1867 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Strain (post 1700) +

Julie Strain (1962-2021), American actress and model who was Penthouse Pet of the Month in June 1991 and later chosen as the magazine's Pet of the Year in 1993
John Menzies Strain (1810-1883), American Roman Catholic clergyman
Joseph Allan Strain (b. 1954), American professional baseball player
Michael Gene "Mike" Strain (b. 1959), the first American Republican ever elected to the position of Commissioner of Agriculture
Christina Strain, American comic book colorist currently working with Marvel Comics
Neil Strain (b. 1926), Canadian professional ice hockey player

The Strain 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: Non timeo, sed caveo
Motto Translation: I fear not but am cautious

Citations +

"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OMEGA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Omega.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html