BUCHANAN
Buchanan is a surname of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic Mac a’ Bhuthaill which translates as "son of the canon." The name reflects an association with a church official or a person connected to the clergy, a common feature in Gaelic patronymics.
The surname is also a locational name taken from the district of Buchanan, situated north‑west of Drymen in Stirlingshire. The place name itself originates from the Gaelic elements buth (house) and Chanain (of the canon). The first recorded use of the name appeared in the early thirteenth century when the head of a cadet branch of the clan McAuslan adopted Buchanan as a surname. The McAuslans were a branch of the wider clan McAuslan, itself a sept of the larger Scottish clan structure.
Historical documents from 1208 and 1225 refer to individuals bearing the name, including Absalon or Absalone, son of Macbethe, who witnessed the gift of the Church of Campsie by Alewin, second earl of Lennox. In 1225 he was granted a charter for the island now known as Clarines (Clarinch in Loch Lomond), a later assembly point for the clan. Other records from the late fourteenth century name Alan de Buchanan and Walter de Buchanan in royal charters, indicating the family’s continued prominence.
The surname is associated with several notable historical figures. Maurice Buchanan served as the treasurer to Princess Margaret, wife of the Dauphin of France, who later became Louis X. George Buchanan (1506–1582) was a renowned historian and Latin scholar whose work gained fame across Europe.
Heraldically, the Buchanan family is represented by a gold shield featuring a black lion rampant set within a double tressure flory counter‑flory of red. This is the coat of arms most commonly linked to the family and is noted in numerous heraldic records.
While originally confined to Scotland, the surname Buchanan has since spread worldwide. Generations of individuals bearing the name can now be found in many parts of the world, carrying forward a lineage that began in the highlands of Stirlingshire and has left a lasting mark on national and international history.
Typical given names associated with the Buchanan surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Jean
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Buchanan in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 14,971 people named Buchanan in the UK. That makes it the 591st most common surname in Britain. Around 230 in a million people in Britain are named Buchanan.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Buchanan
- Neil Buchanan - Television presenter and musician
- Keisha Buchanan - Singer-songwriter
- Ken Buchanan - Boxer
- Ian Buchanan - Scottish actor
- Isobel Buchanan - Singer
- Jack Buchanan - Scottish actor, singer, director and producer (1891 to 1957)
- Gordon Buchanan - Filmmaker
- George Buchanan - Scottish historian and humanist scholar (1506 to 1582)
- Liam Buchanan - Scottish football player
- David Buchanan - Football player
- Lee Buchanan -
- Colin Buchanan - Urban planner (1907 to 2001)
- Angus Buchanan - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1894 to 1944)
- Keith Buchanan - Northern Irish politician
- Robert Williams Buchanan - Scottish poet, novelist and dramatist (1841 to 1901)
- Richard Buchanan - Politician (1912 to 2003)
- Thomas Buchanan - Politician
- Robbie Buchanan - Scottish football player
- Emily Buchanan - Journalist
- Isaac Buchanan - Canadian politician (1810 to 1883)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.