Does the Aird surname have a clan tartan

[terry m]

Does anyone know if the Aird surname has a particular clan or tartan. From my own research I think it is a lowland name but it's difficult to find if it is associated with a clan as such. I have found a reference to the Boyd clan but was only a suggestion and a very weak one.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Steve Ashton]

It really depends on where your people lived in Scotland.

Aird is a place name in Scotland so perhaps that is where the family name comes from. Aird Scotland is west of Inverness. This would be the Fraser territory.

Before immigrating to the US many Aird's said they came from the South West coast of Scotland. What today is Ayrshire. These Scots would be lowlanders and would not necessarily have a Highland Clan affiliation.

There were also Airds from the South East of England from the area of London, down to Hastings.

So if you can tell us where your people lived perhaps we could help more.

[terry m]

Thanks for that Steve. Aird is my mother in laws maiden name. I will have to get more information when I see her next. She lived in London but talks of staying with Scottish relatives in Scotland when she was young. Her father served in the Royal Navy during and in between both world wars and was stationed in Scotland for a time. I will try and narrow it down and see what we come up with.

[ctbuchanan]

You may find this interesting - the National Trust Surname profiler shows the distribution of the name Aird in the 1881 census as throughout much Scotland but concentrated in Kilmonark. I wonder if it is associated with the town of Airdrie.

Here is a link to the map: http://gbnames.publicprofiler.org/Ma...y=GB&type=name


And still predominantly in Scotland in 1998 as well

http://gbnames.publicprofiler.org/Ma...y=GB&type=name

And I was able to obtain this from the Surname Database:

Recorded in the spellings of Aird and Airds, this is a Scottish locational surname of considerable antiquity and history. It originates from either the village of Aird near Hurlford, in Ayrshire, or from the hamlet of Aird, in the parish of Inch, Wigtownshire. The meaning of the name is obscure, but it may be from the Olde English pre 5th century 'ad' meaning a funeral pyre, and presumably a place where such ceremonies took place. Another possiblity is from the word 'eyera', meaning a gravel bank. Most locational names derive from a meaning associated with a local landmark, and these in themselves were often quite insignificant, but not so to the small communities of ancient times. It is not certain as to when the surname was first recorded, although it is reported that the Airds of Holl, and the Airds of Catrine, both in Ayrshire, were ranked as 'old famillies' in the early 16th century. Amongst the first known recordings are those of two brothers Nicoll Aird and William Aird, arrested for murder in 1526, although later reprieved. They were followers of the Earl of Cassilis, who it is said was trying, unsuccessfully, to start a rebellion. Other recordings taken from authentic rolls and charters of the period include: George Aird of Melrose in 1658, James Airds, the minister of Torryburn in 1686, whilst one William Aird was confirmed as the heir to the estate of (another) William Aird of Holl, in 1687, and far away in Dundee John Aird was recorded as being both a burgess and a maltman in that city in 1697.

Read more: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/aird#ixzz3qX1QQGFs

[Profane James]

Thanks for the post...I'm always interested in the Ayr area, our paternal line is centered around there.

[figheadair]

I wonder if it is associated with the town of Airdrie.

And I was able to obtain this from the Surname Database:

Recorded in the spellings of Aird and Airds, this is a Scottish locational surname of considerable antiquity and history. It originates from either the village of Aird near Hurlford, in Ayrshire, or from the hamlet of Aird, in the parish of Inch, Wigtownshire. The meaning of the name is obscure, but it may be from the Olde English pre 5th century 'ad' meaning a funeral pyre, and presumably a place where such ceremonies took place.

This derivation is but one possible origin of the name. In the Highlands it generally comes from the Gaelic ard (genative Aird) meaning a height or promontory; thus, the dweller on/from/by the height.
For example: Campbell of Airds.

[terry m]

Hello again. From speaking to my mum in law it seems that there is quite a tangled web to follow. The main branch of my wife's family on her mothers side are lowland people from Ayrshire which is clan Boyd territory.

[Michael Weatherhead]

I checked out that sight that he recommended (public profiler/gb names). It's a cool site. It allowed me to type in my surname (Weatherhead). Then I could choose between two different maps of the UK. One in 1881, the other in 1998. When you click on to one or the other map, it shows the counties/regions where your surname is concentrated, in those given years. I knew, for instance, that my ancestors came from Berwickshire, Scotland, and the 1881 map reflected that, but the strongest concentration of Weatherheads was in Harrogate, in northern England. There was also a cluster of them in north London. Anyway, thanks again for the tip. I recommend this site, as well. ( I just tried to save the images in my computer, but it doesn't save them. I wanted to attach it to this post. Oh well.)