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 (air a' scèin), meaning "upon the knife". The King, in honour of his valour, granted him the surname Eriskine.[3]

Erskine
The River Clyde seen from Erskine Bridge, 2007.
Origin
Region of originScotland
Other names
Variant form(s)Arascain

List of people with the surname

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, retrieved 25 September 2010 which cited Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4. for the surname "Erskine".
  2. ^ Macfarlane, Malcolm (1912), The School Gaelic Dictionary prepared for the use of learners of the Gaelic language, Stirling: Eneas Mackay, p. 149
  3. ^ Arthur, William (1857). An etymological dictionary of family and Christian names. Sheldon, Blakeman & Co. p. 125.