Erskine (surname)

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 (air a' scèin), meaning "upon the knife". The King, in honour of his valour, granted him the surname Eriskine.

List of people with the surname

 * Albert Russel Erskine (1871–1933), an American businessman who served as president of the Studebaker Corporation from 1915 to 1933
 * Carl Erskine (1926–2024), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 to 1959
 * Chris Erskine (born 1987), Scottish footballer
 * David Erskine, (1776–1855), British diplomat and politician
 * Ebenezer Erskine (1680–1754), Scottish minister whose actions led to the establishment of the Secession Church
 * Emmanuel Erskine (1937–2021), Ghanaian army general and former commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
 * George Erskine (1899–1965), British general who commanded the 7th Armoured Division during World War II,
 * Gizzi Erskine (born 1979), British chef and TV personality
 * Graves B. Erskine (1897–1973), U.S. Marine Corps general who led the 3rd Marine Division during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima
 * Henry Erskine (lawyer) (1746–1817), Scottish Whig politician and lawyer
 * Jacob Erskine (born 1989), English footballer
 * James Robert Erskine-Murray (1868–1927), Scottish electrical inventor
 * Jared Samuel Erskine (born 1986), American singer and songwriter known professionally as October London
 * Joe Erskine (American boxer) (1930–2009), former welterweight boxer and long-distance runner
 * Joe Erskine (Welsh boxer) (1934–1990), former British and British Empire heavyweight boxing champion
 * John Erskine (disambiguation), several people
 * Kenneth Erskine (born 1963), British serial killer known as the "Stockwell Strangler" who murdered seven elderly people in and around London during a three-month period in 1986
 * Laurie York Erskine (1894–1976), American author and educator
 * Margaret Erskine (disambiguation), several people
 * Maya Erskine (born 1987), American actress and writer
 * Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (born 1984), Canadian politician
 * Peter Erskine (born 1954), American jazz drummer and composer
 * Ralph Erskine (preacher) (1685–1752), Scottish churchman
 * Ralph Erskine (architect) (1914–2005), London-born architect who lived and worked in Sweden for most of his life
 * Robert Erskine (1735–1780), map-maker to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War
 * Robert Erskine (physician) (1677–1718)
 * Roy Erskine (born 1931), Scottish footballer
 * Ruaraidh Erskine (1869–1960), Scottish nationalist activist
 * Scott Erskine (1962–2020), American serial killer sentenced to death for the murder of two California boys in 1993
 * Thomas Erskine (theologian) (1788–1870)
 * Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine (1750–1823), British lawyer and politician
 * William Erskine (disambiguation), several people