Scottish Surnames of Clan Urquhart – Origins, Tartans and Clan History

Sharing is caring!

The Scottish surnames of Clan Urquhart trace back to one of Scotland’s most fascinating Highland families. They held power on the Black Isle for centuries. Their name echoes across the Highlands, most famously through the iconic castle that shares their ancient Gaelic roots on the shores of Loch Ness. If you carry the Urquhart name, your roots lie in Easter Ross — a land of sea lochs, ancient forests, and windswept Black Isle headlands.

Today, thousands of people around the world carry the Urquhart name. Many are descended from families who left the Black Isle and Easter Ross during the Highland Clearances. Their descendants now live across North America, Australia, and New Zealand — still shaped by a heritage that began on a Scottish peninsula above the Cromarty Firth.

Where Does the Urquhart Name Come From?

The name “Urquhart” comes from the Gaelic word Urchardain. It means “on the wooded height” or “by the wooded ridge.” The Gaelic combines ur (fresh or green) with cardain (a thicket or woody ridge). It describes a landscape shaped by ancient Highland forest.

Two different places in Scotland share this ancient Gaelic name. The first is in Ross-shire on the Black Isle — the ancestral home of Clan Urquhart. The second is Glen Urquhart in Inverness-shire, beside Loch Ness. Both names share the same Gaelic root, but they are separate places with separate histories. Clan Urquhart’s roots lie firmly in Ross-shire. Their heartland was the town of Cromarty and the surrounding lands of the Black Isle peninsula.

The History of Clan Urquhart

The Urquhart family rose to power in the 14th century. Sir William Urquhart became Sheriff of Cromarty in the early 1300s. He built up the family’s authority across Easter Ross. His descendants held the sheriffdom for generations and grew into one of the region’s most powerful families.

The clan’s main stronghold was Cromarty Castle on the Black Isle. They defended this seat through the medieval period. The family also held lands at Castle Craig near Beauly and estates across Easter Ross.

Clan Urquhart shared borders with some of Scotland’s great Highland clans. The Munros and the MacKenzies held much of the wider Ross-shire region. To the north, the Clan Sutherland and the Clan MacKay dominated the far north. The Clan Chisholm held Strathglass to the south. The Urquharts navigated these powerful neighbours through alliance, marriage, and skill.

Sir Thomas Urquhart — Scotland’s Most Eccentric Laird

The most famous member of Clan Urquhart was Sir Thomas Urquhart (1611–1660). He was a writer, a polymath, and one of the strangest figures in all of Scottish literary history.

Born in Cromarty, Sir Thomas studied at King’s College, Aberdeen. He travelled widely across Europe as a young man. He was a passionate Royalist who fought for King Charles I. After the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, he spent time as a prisoner in London.

During his captivity, Sir Thomas turned to writing. His most famous achievement was an English translation of the French writer François Rabelais. His version of Gargantua and Pantagruel (1653) is still read today. Scholars praise it as one of the great English literary translations. It brims with wit, invention, and extravagant energy.

Sir Thomas also wrote a remarkable genealogical work about his own family. He claimed the Urquharts descended from a man named Esormon of Achaia. He traced the family line through 143 ancestors all the way back to Adam and Eve. Historians have found little to support this. But the sheer creativity of the attempt is very much in character for a man of his spirit.

Sir Thomas reportedly died in 1660 from a fit of laughter when he heard that King Charles II had been restored to the throne. Whether true or legend, it is a story that suits him perfectly.

Scottish Surnames of Clan Urquhart

The main surname of this clan is Urquhart itself. It appears in many historical spellings across Scottish records. You will find Orchart, Urchard, and Urchart in older documents — particularly in Old Parish Records before 1855. Scottish clerks often wrote names phonetically. The same household might appear as Urquhart in one record and Urchart in another.

The Gaelic patronymic form is MacMurchaich or MacMhurchaidh, meaning “son of Murdoch.” You may find this form in older Ross-shire records, particularly in Gaelic-speaking communities of the 18th century.

Clan Urquhart was never a large clan. It did not maintain the wide network of septs that bigger clans like Clan MacKintosh or Clan MacPherson built up over generations. If your surname is Urquhart or one of its documented variants, you almost certainly have roots in the Black Isle heartland of this clan.

🏴️ Enjoying this? 43,000 Scotland lovers get stories like this every week. Subscribe free →

The Urquhart Tartan

The Urquhart tartan is a bold Highland pattern in red, green, navy, and white. It carries the strong, clear colours typical of the Scottish Highlands. You can find it in both a modern and an ancient version. The ancient version uses softer, more faded tones that reflect the natural plant dyes of earlier centuries.

Scottish clan tartans took their modern form largely in the 19th century, particularly around the time of King George IV’s visit to Scotland in 1822. The Urquhart tartan is available today from specialist weavers in Inverness and Edinburgh.

Urquhart Castle — A Shared Name, A Different Story

Many people with the Urquhart surname have heard of Urquhart Castle. It stands on a rocky headland above Loch Ness. Its ruins rank among the most photographed in all of Scotland. It looks exactly like the kind of place a great Highland clan would call home.

But here is an important distinction to understand. Urquhart Castle was not the seat of Clan Urquhart. The castle takes its name from Glen Urquhart — the valley of the same Gaelic name that runs south of the castle into Inverness-shire. Clan Urquhart’s ancestral home was on the Black Isle in Ross-shire, about 30 miles to the north.

Both places share the Gaelic root Urchardain. But they are separate places with separate histories. Urquhart Castle was a royal fortress that the Scottish Crown fought hard to control. It changed hands repeatedly through the medieval period — from the Lords of the Isles to the government of James IV.

That said, a visit to Urquhart Castle is absolutely worth your time. It sits in one of the most dramatic settings in Scotland. The views across Loch Ness are extraordinary. And the name above the gateway carries a heritage you now understand in full.

The Urquhart Diaspora — From the Black Isle to North America

The Highland Clearances hit the Black Isle and Easter Ross hard in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Landlords replaced small tenant farmers with sheep. Urquhart families who had worked the same land for generations had no choice but to leave.

Canada was the most common destination. Ontario drew thousands of Highland emigrants. Glengarry County in eastern Ontario became a stronghold of Highland culture, where Gaelic was still heard in the church and at the kitchen table well into the 20th century. Urquhart families from the parish of Cromarty settled there alongside Sutherland and Ross-shire families.

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, also received many families from Easter Ross. In communities such as Iona, Baddeck, and Whycocomagh, Highland families kept the Gaelic language alive long after their journey across the Atlantic. Families who left the parish of Cromarty in the 1820s and 1830s often settled in these Cape Breton townships. They brought their songs, their stories, and their memory of the Black Isle with them. Their descendants in Nova Scotia still carry those roots today.

Other Urquhart families made the longer voyage to Australia and New Zealand. By the mid-19th century, the Urquhart name had spread across four continents — all from a single Black Isle peninsula.

If your family has oral histories of coming from “near Inverness” or “from the Black Isle,” focus your research on that region. The parishes of Cromarty, Resolis, and the parish of Urquhart in Moray are the most likely origin points for Urquhart emigrants to North America.

How to Trace Your Urquhart Ancestry

The best starting point is the ScotlandsPeople website. It holds the national collection of Scottish civil and church records. For Urquhart ancestry research, focus on these record types:

• Old Parish Records (OPRs) — covering baptisms, marriages, and burials before 1855
• Civil registration records — from 1855 onwards, for births, marriages, and deaths
• Census records — from 1841 to 1921, searchable online
• Valuation rolls — land and property records that can pinpoint where your ancestors lived

The parish of Cromarty and the surrounding Easter Ross parishes are the key areas to search. Read our full guide to Scottish clan records and ancestry research for a step-by-step approach to finding your Urquhart roots.

For families who emigrated, Canadian and American census records are invaluable. Many Highland emigrants arrived with ship records that list their Scottish parish of origin. Library and Archives Canada and Ancestry.com both hold large collections of passenger lists and early emigrant records.

If you plan to visit the Black Isle and Easter Ross in person, our guide to planning a Scottish heritage trip covers everything you need. You can also use our 7-day Scottish ancestry itinerary to build an unforgettable homecoming journey.

Frequently Asked Questions About Clan Urquhart

What does the Urquhart name mean?

Urquhart comes from the Gaelic Urchardain, meaning “on the wooded height” or “by the wooded ridge.” The name describes the landscape of the clan’s ancestral lands on the Black Isle in Ross-shire.

Is Urquhart Castle the home of Clan Urquhart?

No. Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness shares the same Gaelic root as the clan name, but it is not the clan’s ancestral seat. Clan Urquhart’s home was Cromarty Castle on the Black Isle in Ross-shire. Urquhart Castle is a royal fortress named after Glen Urquhart in Inverness-shire — a separate place with a separate history.

What Scottish surnames belong to Clan Urquhart?

The main surname is Urquhart, with historical variants including Orchart, Urchard, and Urchart. The Gaelic patronymic is MacMurchaich. Clan Urquhart was a smaller clan without the wide network of septs that larger Highland clans maintained.

Where did Urquhart families emigrate to?

Most Urquhart families who left during the Highland Clearances went to Canada — particularly Glengarry County in Ontario and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Others settled in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. The parishes of Cromarty and Resolis in Ross-shire were the main departure points for these emigrants.

How do I start tracing my Urquhart ancestry?

Start with ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk and search the Old Parish Records for the parishes of Cromarty, Resolis, and Urquhart in Ross-shire. Use census records from 1841 to 1921 to follow family movements. For emigrant connections, check Library and Archives Canada for passenger lists and early census records from Ontario and Cape Breton.

Sharing is caring!

Secure Your Dream Scottish Experience Before It’s Gone!

Planning a trip to Scotland? Don’t let sold-out tours or packed attractions dampen your adventure. Iconic experiences like exploring Edinburgh Castle, cruising along Loch Ness, or wandering through the mystical Isle of Skye often fill up fast—especially during peak travel seasons.

Booking in advance guarantees your place and ensures you can fully immerse yourself in the rich culture and breathtaking scenery without stress or disappointment. You’ll also free up time to explore Scotland's hidden gems and savour those authentic moments that make your trip truly special.

Make the most of your journey—start planning today and secure those must-do experiences before they’re gone!