Quote Originally Posted by raibeart_dubh View Post
From Electric Scotland (http://www.electricscotland.com/webc.../colquho2.html):

"The immediate ancestor of the family of Luss was Humphry de Kilpatrick, who in the reign of Alexander II., not later than 1246, obtained from Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, a grant of the lands and barony of Colquhoun, in the parish of Old or West Kilpatrick, pro servitio unius militis, &c., and in consequence assumed the name of Colquhoun, instead of his own. His grandson, Ingelram, third Colquhoun, lived in the reign of Alexander III."

It seems that perhaps the name is derived from a place, if the website is correct in its information.
I cannot speak for the data, but the last sentence is totally correct.

We are talking of a time when last/sur/family names were not used and for the most part did not exist. It was only when a man left his village that he needed to identify himself.

In general last names fall into one of 4 categories:

  1. Son of (or belonging to): O'Brian, MacDonald, ap Owell
  2. Where you come from: Ashton, Gaunt, Colquhoun
  3. Trade: Miller, Baker, Tyler, Fletcher
  4. Physical appearance: Dunn, Longbottom, Grosvenor.

Your Kilpatrick took the name of the land where he lived

Regards

Chas