Erskine (surname)
Erskine is a Scottish surname. The name is derived from a habitational name from a location (Erskine) on the southern bank of the River Clyde, near Glasgow. This place was first recorded in 1225 as Erskin. Early spellings of the place include: Yrskin (1227); Ireskin (1262); Harskin (1300), and Irschen (1300).[1] The Scottish Gaelic form of the surname is Arascain.[2] Legend dictates that the name was given by King Malcolm II to a man who killed the Danish General Enrique at the Battle of Murthill. He is said to have shown the bloody knife to king and said eris-skyne, meaning "upon the knife". The King, in honor of his valour, granted him the surname Eriskine. [3]
List of people with the surname
- Albert Russel Erskine (1871–1933), an American businessman who served as president of the Studebaker Corporation from 1915 to 1933
- Carl Erskine (1926–present), former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 to 1959
- Ebenezer Erskine (1680–1754)
- Emmanuel Erskine, Ghana army general and former commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
- Erskine Caldwell (1903–1987), critically acclaimed American author from the South
- Erskine Hamilton Childers (1905–1974), fourth President of Ireland and Fianna Fáil minister
- Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough, UK parliament expert
- Graves B. Erskine (1897–1973), U.S. Marine Corps general who led the 3rd Marine Division during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima
- Henry Erskine (lawyer) (1746–1817), younger brother of David Stewart
- Joe Erskine (American boxer) (1930–2009), former welterweight boxer and long distance runner
- Joe Erskine (Welsh boxer) (1934–1990), former British and British Empire heavyweight boxing champion
- John Erskine (theologian) (1721–1803)
- John Erskine, several people
- Kenneth Erskine (1962–present), British serial killer known as the "Stockwell Strangler" who murdered seven elderly people in and around London during a three month period in 1986
- Laurie York Erskine (1894–1976), writer and author
- Peter Erskine (1954–present), drummer
- Ralph Erskine (architect) (1914–2005), London-born architect who lived and worked in Sweden for most of his life
- Ralph Erskine (preacher) (1685–1752), younger brother of Ebenezer
- Robert Erskine (1735–1780), map-maker to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War
- Scott Erskine (1963–present), an American serial killer convicted to death row for the murder of two California boys in 1993
- Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine (1750–1823), younger brother of David Stewart and Henry
- Thomas Erskine, theologian (1788–1870)
Many members of Clan Erskine.
References
- ^ Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?, retrieved 25 September 2010 which cited Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4. for the surname "Erskine".
- ^ Macfarlane, Malcolm (1912), The School Gaelic Dictionary prepared for the use of learners of the Gaelic language, Stirling: Eneas Mackay, p. 149, http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924026841043
- ^ Arthur, William (1857). An etymological dictionary of family and Christian names. Sheldon, Blakeman & Co.. pp. 125. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=SYEfAAAAYAAJ&dq.