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]
 The River Clyde seen from Erskine Bridge, 2007. | |
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Region of origin | Scotland |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Arascain |
List of people with the surname
edit- Albert Russel Erskine (1871–1933), an American businessman who served as president of the Studebaker Corporation from 1915 to 1933
- Carl Erskine (1926–2024), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 to 1959
- Chris Erskine (born 1987), Scottish footballer
- David Erskine, (1776–1855), British diplomat and politician
- Ebenezer Erskine (1680–1754), Scottish minister whose actions led to the establishment of the Secession Church
- Emmanuel Erskine (1937–2021), Ghanaian army general and commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
- George Erskine (1899–1965), British general who commanded the 7th Armoured Division during World War II,
- Gizzi Erskine (born 1979), British chef and TV personality
- 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), Scottish Whig politician and lawyer
- Jacob Erskine (born 1989), English footballer
- James Robert Erskine-Murray (1868–1927), Scottish electrical inventor
- Jared Samuel Erskine (born 1986), American singer and songwriter known professionally as October London
- Joe Erskine (American boxer) (1930–2009), welterweight boxer and long-distance runner
- Joe Erskine (Welsh boxer) (1934–1990), British and British Empire heavyweight boxing champion
- John Erskine (disambiguation), several people
- Kenneth Erskine (born 1963), 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), American author and educator
- Margaret Erskine (disambiguation), several people
- Maya Erskine (born 1987), American actress and writer
- Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (born 1984), Canadian politician
- Peter Erskine (born 1954), American jazz drummer and composer
- Ralph Erskine (preacher) (1685–1752), Scottish churchman
- Ralph Erskine (architect) (1914–2005), London-born architect who lived and worked in Sweden for most of his life
- Robert Erskine (disambiguation), several people
- Roy Erskine (born 1931), Scottish footballer
- Ruaraidh Erskine (1869–1960), Scottish nationalist activist
- Scott Erskine (1962–2020), American serial killer sentenced to death for the murder of two California boys in 1993
- Thomas Erskine (theologian) (1788–1870)
- Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine (1750–1823), British lawyer and politician
- William Erskine (disambiguation), several people
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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".
- ^ Macfarlane, Malcolm (1912), The School Gaelic Dictionary prepared for the use of learners of the Gaelic language, Stirling: Eneas Mackay, p. 149
- ^ Arthur, William (1857). An etymological dictionary of family and Christian names. Sheldon, Blakeman & Co. p. 125.
This page lists people with the surname Erskine.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.