Erskine (surname)

Erskine
Family name
The River Clyde seen from Erskine Bridge, 2007.
Region of origin	Scotland
Related names	Arascain
Clan affiliations	Clan Erskine

Erskine is a Scottish surname. The name is derived from a habitational name from a location (Erskine) on the southern bank of the River Clyde, near Glasgow. This place was first recorded in 1225 as Erskin. Early spellings of the place include: Yrskin (1227); Ireskin (1262); Harskin (1300), and Irschen (1300). The Scottish Gaelic form of the surname is Arascain. Legend dictates that the name was given by King Malcolm II to a man who killed the Danish General Enrique at the Battle of Murthill. He is said to have shown the bloody knife to king and said eris-skyne, meaning "upon the knife". The King, in honour of his valour, granted him the surname Eriskine.