Elder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Elder

What does the name Elder mean?

In ancient Scotland, Elder was first used as a surname by the descendants of the Boernician tribe. It was a name for a person who was the elder of two people, 1 bearing the same name or the name could have been derived from the Old English "ealdra," meaning "elder." Alternatively, the name could have a nickname for someone who was a "dweller at, or near, an elder tree." 2

Early Origins of the Elder family

The surname Elder was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area. One of the first records of the family was John Eldar or Eldare de Corstorfin who was burgess of Edinburgh in 1423 and "the surname is also recorded in Aberdeen in 1447. John Elder, a renegade Scot, urged Henry VIII ('Bagcheeks') to invade Scotland, assuring him of the support of the Highland Clans. Andro Elder, was a reidare at Menmure in 1574." 3

Further to the south, "this surname is derived from a nickname 'the elder.' The usual form in the Yorkshire Poll Tax is Senior, and this has become one of the strongly established surnames of that county." However, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 does list Ricardus ye Elder. 4 William atte Nalre, atte Naldhres was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1277 and gain in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1313. 5

Early History of the Elder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elder research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1542, 1555, 1680, 1700 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Elder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elder Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages, and simply spelled according to sound. The result is an enormous number of spelling variations among names that evolved in that era. Elder has been spelled Elder, Elders, Eldar, MacNoravaich and others.

Early Notables of the Elder family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Elder (fl. 1555), Scottish writer, a native of Caithness who passed twelve years of his life at the universities of St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and Glasgow, and appears to have entered the ministry. "...
William Elder (fl. 1680-1700), was a Scottish engraver who worked in London, where he was employed principally by the booksellers. He engraved many portraits as frontispieces, but was more expert as a...

Elder Ranking

In the United States, the name Elder is the 1,005^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 6 However, in New Zealand, the name Elder is ranked the 952^nd most popular surname with an estimated 785 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Elder family to Ireland

Some of the Elder family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elder migration to the United States +

Most of the Boernician-Scottish families who came to North America settled on the eastern seaboard of what would become the United States and Canada. Families who wanted a new order stayed south in the War of Independence, while those who were still loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, the ancestors of these families have gone on to rediscover their heritage through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Elder or a variant listed above:

Elder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Elder, who landed in Virginia in 1664 8

Elder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Elder who settled in New Hampshire in 1718 along with Thomas, David, Isaac, John, Robert, Samuel, and Thomas
Reverend John Elder who formed and was Captain of the Paxtang Rangers, known as the Paxtang Boys in 1753 who committed considerable mayhem amongst the Indians of Conestoga
William Elder, who landed in America in 1760-1763 8

Elder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Stewart Elder, who arrived in New York in 1810 8
Matthew Elder, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 8
Charles Elder, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 8
David Elder, aged 30, who arrived in Maine in 1812 8
Robert Elder, who arrived in New York in 1822 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Elder migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Elder Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Alexander Elder, aged 27, a shipmaster, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John" from Liverpool, England
Henry Elder, aged 18, who landed in Quebec in 1834

Elder migration to Australia +

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

Elder Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Eliza Elder who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales 9
Mr. Gersham Elder, (Gershom), (b. 1815), aged 19, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 14 years for theft, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1853 10
Mr. James Elder, British Convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. Charles Elder, (b. 1812), aged 29, Scottish farm labourer from from Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 12
Mrs. Ann Grant Elder, (b. 1813), aged 28, Scottish farm servant from from Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Elder 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:

Elder Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. J.R. Elder, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 8th November 1858 14
Mr. John Elder, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 14
Mrs. Elder, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 14
Miss Elder, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 14
William Elder, aged 32, a railway labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Reiherstieg" in 1864
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Elder (post 1700) +

David Matthew "Dave" Elder (1975-2023), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in 2002 and 2003
James Walter Elder (1882-1941), American politician, United States Representative from Louisiana
George Rezin Elder Jr. (1921-2022), American Major League Baseball player from Lebanon, Kentucky who appeared in 41 games with the St. Louis Browns in 1949
Robert Lee Elder (1934-2021), American professional PGA golfer, the first African-American to play in the Masters Tournament,
Thereasea Delerine "T.D" Elder (d. 2020), the first African American public health nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina
Judyann Elder (b. 1948), born Judith Ann Johnson, an American actress, director, and writer
Henry Knox "Heinie" Elder (1890-1958), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played in 1913 for the Detroit Tigers
Donald Elder (b. 1962), former professional American NFL football player who played from 1985 to 1991
Ann Elder (b. 1942), born Anna Velders, an American two-time Primetime Emmy Award winning screenwriter
Christian Stuart Elder (1968-2007), American sports car and former NASCAR stock car driver
... (Another 63 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Elder family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Bruce Alfred Elder (1920-1941), Australian Sub-Lieutenant from Manly, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 15

The Elder 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: Virtute duce
Motto Translation: With virtue for guide.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=41
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=42
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp