Clan Urquhart - Surname Origin

The name "Urquhart" originated from a place name "Airchart" on the northwest shore of Loch Ness. The name was recorded as far back as the days of St Columba in the 6th century. Translated from Gaelic, it means "by a rowan wood" or "a fort on a knoll." In old Scots spelling, "quh" represented "ch" as in "loch", hence the pronunciation sounding like "Urchart".