ELDER
Elder is a surname of English, Gaelic and Scottish provenance. The name was originally a Middle English nickname derived from the word eldre meaning “elder” or “older”. It was applied to a person who was the elder of two individuals bearing the same name, or to a person who held a position of authority or respect within his community.
The surname is also associated with the Scottish clan name MacIntosh, from the Gaelic phrase Mac an Toisich meaning “son of the chief”. In this context Elder is viewed as a variant formed through anglicisation of Gaelic patronymics, suggesting a link between age, wisdom and leadership.
Recorded variants of the name include Elderkin, Elders and Elderson. In the medieval period it was sometimes confused with the surname Alder, although this was incorrect. In Yorkshire the term Senior was used to denote a person who bore the same name as a younger relative, and this form is now a common surname in that region.
Early documentary evidence of the name appears in a range of medieval rolls. For example, Hugo le Heldere is recorded in the Curia Regis rolls for Hertfordshire in 1212, while Ricardus le Elder appears in the Priory Rolls for Yorkshire in 1379. These entries show that both the forms “Senior” and “Elder” were in use simultaneously in the same locality.
Later mentions of the surname can be found in parish registers. Phillip Elderkin was christened at Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex on 10 November 1613, and Thomas Elder married Jane Gibbs at St James church, Clerkenwell, London in 1648, during the reign of King Charles the First. Such records demonstrate the continuity and geographical spread of the name throughout England.
In summary, the surname Elder encapsulates a tradition of describing seniority and leadership within families and communities, and its legacy can be seen in both English and Scottish surname records from the medieval period to the present day.
Typical given names associated with the Elder surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Caroline
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- 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 Elder in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Elder are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Ginger snap.
There are approximately 5,557 people named Elder in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,706th most common surname in Britain. Around 85 in a million people in Britain are named Elder.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Elder
- Mark Elder - Conductor
- Robert Livingston the Elder - New York colonial official, fur trader, and businessman (1654 to 1728)
- Stewart Duke-Elder - Ophthalmologist (1898 to 1978)
- Nathan Elder - Football player
- Murray Elder, Baron Elder - Politician
- Verona Elder - Athlete and Commonwealth games gold medallist
- Thomas Elder - Australian politician (1818 to 1897)
- Gilbert Ironside the elder - Bishop (1588 to 1)
- Alexander Gill the Elder - Scholar, spelling reformer, and high-master of St Paul's School, London (1565 to 1635)
- Alex Elder - Northern Irish football player
- Jimmy Elder - Scottish football player
- Samuel Pegge the elder - Antiquarian (1704 to 1796)
- John Eddowes Bowman the Elder - Banker and naturalist (1785 to 1841)
- John Elder - Presbyterian clergyman (1706 to 1792)
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.