Clan Anderson is a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recognised ...

that is recognized as such by the

Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants ...

. However, as the clan does not currently have a chief recognized by the

Court of the Lord Lyon The Court of the Lord Lyon (the Lyon Court) is a standing court of law, based in New Register House in Edinburgh, which regulates heraldry in Scotland. The Lyon Court maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All ...

, it is therefore considered an

armigerous clan An armigerous clan (from armiger) is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognised as such by Lyon Court. Befor ...

. Variations of the surname are however considered

sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ...

s of several other clans of the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

: The surname MacAndrews is considered a sept of the

Clan Mackintosh Clan Mackintosh (''Clann Mhic an Tòisich'') is a Scottish clan from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The chiefs of the clan are the Mackintoshes of Mackintosh. Another branch of the clan, the Mackintoshes of Torcastle, are the chiefs of Cl ...

and

Clan Chattan Clan Chattan ( gd, Na Catanaich or gd, Clann Chatain) is a unique confederation of Highland clans. The clan is distinctive in highland clan history in that it was acknowledged to be a community or confederation, of twelve separate Scottish cla ...

, and also associated with the

Clan MacDonell of Glengarry Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry ( gd, Clann Dòmhnaill Ghlinne Garaidh) is a Scottish clan and is a branch of the larger Clan Donald.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl o ...

. The surnames Andrew and Andrews are considered septs of the

Clan Ross Clan Ross ( gd, Clann Anndrais ) is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross. History Origins The first recorded chief of the Clan Ross was "Fearcher Mac an t-Sagirt" which in English meant ...

History

Origins

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Pete ...

is the patron saint of Scotland the surname Anderson, which means ''Son of Andrew'' is commonly found throughout most of the country. The

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

derivation of the name is ''Gilleaindreas'' which means ''servant of Andrew''. The Scottish historian, Ian Grimble, states that although arms were granted to an Anderson of that Ilk in the sixteenth century, as the name is so widespread no exact place of origin can be established.

16th and 17th centuries

The historian George Fraser Black lists Andersons as being burgesses of

Peebles Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...

as well as in the county of

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...

. In 1585 John Anderson was a commissioner to Parliament for

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fi ...

Alexander Anderson Alexander Anderson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Alexander Anderson (illustrator) (1775–1870), American illustrator * Alexander Anderson (poet) (1845–1909), Scottish poet * Alexander Anderson (cartoonist) (1920–2010), American car ...

was a famous mathematician who was born near

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...

and later settled in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, where he published works on

Algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary ...

and

Geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

. Alexander's kinsman, David Anderson of Finshaugh, also a scientist, is renowned for removing a rock that was obstructing the entrance to Aberdeen harbour with the application of science and mechanics. His wife

Jean Anderson Jean Anderson (12 December 1907 – 1 April 2001) was an English actress best remembered for her television roles as hard-faced matriarch Mary Hammond in the BBC drama '' The Brothers'' (1972–1976) and as rebellious aristocrat Lady Jocelyn " ...

was a noted philanthropist.

19th and 20th centuries

In 1863 William Anderson published his famous biographical history of the people of Scotland, ''The Scottish Nation'', in three volumes. In this book he praised the above-mentioned rock remover, David Anderson, stating that he had been ''rich enough and generous enough to found and endow a hospital in Aberdeen for the maintenance and education of ten poor orphans'', although it was Jean Anderson (and her relatives) who made that gift after he died. In the 20th century the name is remembered for the famous Anderson shelters, a type of bomb shelter that was designed by

John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, (8 July 1882 – 4 January 1958) was a Scottish Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant and politician who is best known for his service in the War Cabinet during the Second World War, for which he w ...

, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

21st century

Anderson Clan Society

The Clan Anderson Society was formed in 1973 and is active throughout North America. A clan room and archival display are maintained at Wyseby House in

Kirtlebridge Kirtlebridge is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. It is located north-east of Annan, north-west of Kirkpatrick-Fleming, and south of Eaglesfield. The village is located where the A74(M) motorway and the West Coast Main ...

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...

. The Clan Anderson Society was Granted Letters Patent Clan Anderson Society Coat of Arms by Lyon Court in 2014 and Dr. Joseph Morrow Lord Lyon King of Arms presented the Letters Patent to the Clan Anderson Society at the Loch Norman Highland Games in North Carolina in April 2014. The Clan Anderson Society Coat of Arms depicts the more inclusive Clan Anderson motto WE STAND SURE .

Cadet branches

As the Clan has never been able to proclaim a Chief, there are no cadet branches for this clan. However, the major families have been identified as Anderson of Ardbrake & Westerton (whose crest is used by Andersons as a clansman's crest badge); Anderson of Kinneddar (scion of the Ardbrake line), Anderson of Noth, Anderson of Newbiggin & Kingask, Anderson of Dowhill & Stobcross, Anderson of Linkwood, Anderson of Inchyra & Stonyhill, Seton-Anderson of Mounie and Anderson of Candacraig.

Highland MacAndrews

In the

the surname MacAndrew is considered a sept of the

Chattan Confederation Clan Chattan ( gd, Na Catanaich or gd, Clann Chatain) is a unique confederation of Highland clans. The clan is distinctive in highland clan history in that it was acknowledged to be a community or confederation, of twelve separate Scottish cla ...

and MacAndrews were also associated with the

. The surnames Andrew and Andrews are also considered septs of the Highland

Clan profile

* Motto: "Stand Sure" (Anderson of Ardbrake & Westerton, plus Anderson of Kinneddar) * Crest: An oak tree Proper (Anderson of Ardbrake & Westerton, plus Anderson of Kinneddar) * Gaelic Name: Mac Aindrais * Badge: On a wreath of the liveries, an oak tree Proper within a circlet belt & buckle * Lands: Aberdeenshire, Banff & Moray * Origin of Name: "Son of Andrew" * Tartan: First seen in 1815 when collected by the "Highland Society of London." It has an azure field and it is one of several Scottish tartans woven with seven colours.

Septs

Andrew, Anderson, Andrews, Gillanders, MacAndrew, M'Anderson.

References

External links

Clan Anderson

Clan Anderson Society
*
Matrikel öfwer Swea rikes ridderskap och adel ... (1754)
(Noble Scots Andersons recorded in Sweden) {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson Scottish clans Armigerous clans