Show ContentsUrquheart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The annals of Scottish history reveal that Urquheart was first used as a name by ancestors of the Pictish tribe of ancient Scotland. The Urquheart family lived in the old barony of Urquhart, which is located on Loch Ness in the county of Inverness.

Early Origins of the Urquheart family

The surname Urquheart was first found in Elginshire a former county in northeastern Scotland, in the present day Scottish Council Area of Moray, where Galleroch de Urchart "who lived temp. Alexander II" [1] was granted lands in Cromarty, and Inverness. He held a family seat at the Castle of Urquhart in 1214. "His descendants were "hereditary sheriffs of Cromarty." [1]

Early History of the Urquheart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Urquheart research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1114, 1306, 1358, 1611, 1650, 1660 and 1759 are included under the topic Early Urquheart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Urquheart Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Urquheart has been spelled Urquhart, Urquhard, Urchard, Orchard and many more.

Early Notables of the Urquheart family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir Thomas Urquhart (Urchard) of Cromarty (1611-c.1660), a Scottish writer and translator, most famous for his translation of Rabelais.Down in London, Thomas Urquhart (fl. 1650?), was a "noted violin-maker and was distinguished...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Urquheart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Urquheart family to Ireland

Some of the Urquheart family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Urquheart family

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Urquheart: Alexander Urquhart who settled in Antigua in 1679; James Urquart settled in Virginia in 1716; Thomas Urquhart settled in Granada in 1776; Donald Urquhart settled in Jamaica in 1745.



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


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