What does the surname Henderson mean?
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Gaelic 'mac Eanruig', son of Henry. Anglicised variously as McHenry, Henryson, and Mackendrick. Henderson is in Gaelic 'mac Eanruig', son of Henry, anglicised over time as McHenry, Henryson and Mackendrick.
Where does the Henderson family come from?
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The Henderson family is rooted in The Highlands & Islands, in Scotland. Within that, the name was particularly concentrated in Lochaber. The atlas page for the name records the historical territory it has held over the centuries.
Is Henderson a Scotland surname?
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Yes, Henderson is a Scotland surname. Its editorial home in this atlas is Scotland, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated.
How old is the Henderson surname?
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Henderson is in Gaelic 'mac Eanruig', son of Henry, anglicised over time as McHenry, Henryson and Mackendrick. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Henderson name took its modern form within that long settlement.
What is the Henderson family known for?
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Bodyguards of the chiefs of MacDonald of Glencoe. Henderson is in Gaelic 'mac Eanruig', son of Henry, anglicised over time as McHenry, Henryson and Mackendrick.
What is the Henderson motto?
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The motto of the Henderson family is "Sola virtus nobilitat", which translates as "Virtue alone ennobles". Family mottoes were registered with the chief of the name and carried on the heraldic arms and battle-banners.
What does "Sola virtus nobilitat" mean in English?
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"Sola virtus nobilitat" is the motto of the Henderson family. In English it means "Virtue alone ennobles". The phrase is typically rendered in Latin, though some Highland families carry their motto in Gaelic and some Norman lines in Old French.
Who is the most famous Henderson?
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The best-known bearer of the Henderson name is Alexander Henderson, Presbyterian divine. Their life and connection to the family are profiled in full on the dedicated champion page.
What stories are told about the Henderson family?
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The Henderson family is associated with The National Covenant in Greyfriars. Each story has its own page on this site with the full account, the date, the location, and the other families involved.
What is the story of the National Covenant in Greyfriars?
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On the afternoon of the twenty-eighth of February 1638, in Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, the Scottish nobility and gentry gathered to subscribe a four-thousand-word document called the National Covenant, drafted by the Edinburgh advocate Archibald Johnston of Wariston and the Leuchars minister Alexander Henderson, in the third month of the country's open resistance to the Caroline-Laudian Prayer Book that Charles I had attempted to impose on the Kirk by royal warrant. The Covenant was signed by some four hundred men in the kirk that afternoon, and laid out on a flat tomb-slab in the kirkyard for the remainder of the burgh to subscribe over the next several days. The event is dated to 1638.
Who were the Henderson family's allies?
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Historical allies of the Henderson family include Clan MacDonald. Alliances were sealed by marriage, bond of manrent, fosterage, or shared confederation, and were as load-bearing in family history as the rivalries on the other side of the ledger.
Is Mackendrick the same family as Henderson?
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Yes. Mackendrick is a historical spelling variant of the Henderson name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.
Is MacHenry the same family as Henderson?
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Yes. MacHenry is a historical spelling variant of the Henderson name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.
Is Henryson the same family as Henderson?
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Yes. Henryson is a historical spelling variant of the Henderson name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.
Where is the Henderson surname found today?
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Scotland is the primary historical home of the Henderson surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same Scotland origin recorded on this page.
What does the Clan Rising page for the Henderson family cover?
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The Clan Rising page for the Henderson family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name, the family motto, famous bearers of the name, traditional stories, historical rivals and allies and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of Scotland so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.
Who is the head of the Henderson family today?
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The seat for the head of the Henderson family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.