Hercus is a

Scottish surname Scottish surnames are surnames currently found in Scotland, or surnames that have a historical connection with the country. History The earliest surnames found in Scotland occur during the reign of David I, King of Scots (1124–53). These were ...

. The name derives from “harecarres”, a Border name for a boundary marker made of rock. Although this medieval place name has been found in three other sites in south-east Scotland, the six modern variations of the surname – Hercus, Herkes, Harcus, Harkes, Harkess and Arcus come from the fourth medieval site today called Harcarse, in the parish of Fogo,

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

, Scotland. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam de Harcarres, who in 1216, was elected

Abbot of Newbattle The Abbot of Newbattle (later Commendator of Newbattle) was the head of the Cistercian monastic community of Newbattle Abbey, Midlothian. It was founded by David I of Scotland in 1140. List of abbots * Radulf, 1140-1147x1150 * Amfrid, 1159-1179 * ...

and subsequently

Abbot of Melrose The Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a ...

. Alexander of Harcarse, knight, performed fealty to Edward I, king of England in 1297 and the arms of Harcarse of that Ilk f Harcarse are cited in the Scottish Arms 1370–1678. The name Hercas first appears in the

Orkney Islands Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) no ...

in the 1500s. Harcus is "the present Orkney spelling of Harcarse" according to George F. Black in "The Surnames of Scotland". The names of Robert, Johnne, and George Hercas are named in the Respite of 1539 for complicity in connection with the

Battle of Summerdale The Battle of Summerdale (also called the Battle of Bigswell) was fought on 19 May 1529, and was the last battle to take place on Orkney soil. The battle took place on the boundary of the parishes of Orphir and Stenness in Mainland, Orkney (seve ...

, 1529. The naming of three Hercas out of a total of thirty one, is indicative of the relative importance of the family at that time in Orkney. On the 5th August 2011, a gathering of Hercus/Harcus and related surnames was held at The Lodge, Carfraemill, Lauder, Berwickshire, TD2 6RA, Scotland with attendees from Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, and the USA. At this gathering, the Flower of Scotland tartan was adopted as the Hercus tartan as no tartan was previously associated with this family name.

Notable people with the surname include

* Mike Hercus, American rugby union player *Fred Hercus, Australian founder of Southern Australian machine-tool maker of Hercus branded lathes * Philip Hercus, Australian navel architect and marine vessel designer * Luise Hercus, Linguist expert on Australian languages *

Ann Hercus Dame Margaret Ann Hercus (née Sayers, born 24 February 1942), best known as Ann Hercus, is a New Zealand diplomat, politician and member of the Labour Party. She represented the Lyttelton electorate from 1978 to 1987. Life before politics ...

, New Zealand politician *

Charles Hercus Sir Charles Ernest Hercus (13 June 1888 – 26 March 1971) was a New Zealand doctor and professor of public health. He was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, on 13 June 1888. He was for many years dean of the University of Otago Dunedin School o ...

, New Zealand doctor and professor of public health *

Richard Harcus Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'str ...

, Scottish Musician and Football expert working as a consultant in Asia

References

{{surname Anglicised Scottish Gaelic-language surnames Scottish surnames Patronymic surnames

Notable people with the surname include

See also

References