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Enterkine/Enterkin

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  • Geoff Blackburn OAM

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The origin of the Enterkin/Enterkine surname

According to p245 of The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

ENTERKIN.  A rare surname of local origin, from Enterkin, parish of Durrisdeer, Dumfriesshire.

Enterkin/Enterkine must surely be one of the rarest or uncommon surnames in the English-speaking world and probably the world.  Data available to me suggests that the name is largely confined to the United Kingdom (it originated in Scotland), the USA and Australia – although other variants of the name are present in some countries.

Scottish record indexes available from ScotlandsPeople[1]show that earliest recorded Enterkin birth was in 1799, the earliest Marriage, which appears to be of the same person, was in 1820 and the earliest Death, of an Enterkin male age 58 was in 1832 (estimated birth year of 1774) or an Enterkin woman age 80 was in 1858 (estimated birth year of 1878)


SCOTLAND - RECORDED LIFE EVENTS[2]

 

Parish records

Statutory records

 

Earliest

Latest

No.

From

To

No.

BIRTHS

1799

1835

15

1855

2019

140

MARRIAGES

1820

1854

21

1861

2017

121

DEATHS

1832

1835

2

1858

2018

116

The Enterkine/Entrekin family has a long history of migration from its origins in Scotland.  It seems that this may have commenced in the late 17thC / early 18thC as a consequence of Religious persecutions (ref: Action at Enterkine Pass 28th July 1684).  This migration was primarily to Ireland and then North America (now the United States & Canada).  As time moved on, migration took place to other countries in the British Empire, including Australia, New Zealand and various countries in Africa – known destinations for Enterkine/Entrekin migration (or perhaps travel) included South Africa and Ghana (often referred to as the Gold Coast).  Below is a compilation that I have made of some more recent movements.  If other people have additional information, particularly relating to earlier family movements, it would be nice if these could be shared – if submitted to me, I will add them to the list.

Some good references for the Enterkine Pass action would be
•Jean Lang’s 1910 book, “A Land of Romance: The Border – Its History and Legends”. T.C. & E.C. Jack. Ltd, London.  pp372 – 375.
•Dane Love’s 2006 Volume, “Scottish Covenanter Stories: Tales from the Killing Times” – see chapter 24 “Rescue at Enterkin Pass”

Following the publication of Lang’s book “A land of Romance”, the Enterkin Pass story received wide coverage in the Australian Press with headlines usually along the line of “The Enterkin Fight – ‘Deliver or Minister’.”  Most accounts of this Action take as their source Daniel Defoe’s published accounts in his “Memoirs of the Church of Scotland” (1717), pp72-3 and again in the third volume of his “Tour of Great Britain” published in 1727.  From today’s perspective this is a “Stirring story”, but back then these were indeed troubling times – known historically as “The Killing Times”


Some Enterkine Entrekin Enterkin Enterken Passenger Departures from the UK (including Scotland) & Ireland - Late 19thC to Middle 20thC (by departure date)

name

Surname

DoB

SEX

Status

Occupation

est. age

Departure

Departure Port

Destination Port

Destination country

Ship name

Last address in the UK

Notes

Mrs. Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1866

F

M

none

27

22 December 1893

London, England

Port Elizabeth (Algoa Bay)

South Africa

Dunbar Castle

 

 

Infant Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1892

M

S

none

1

22 December 1893

London, England

Port Elizabeth (Algoa Bay)

South Africa

Dunbar Castle

 

 

H. Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1869

M

S

Labourer

31

04-August-1900

Liverpool, England

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Canada

Carthaginian

 

 

Jas Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1878

M

S

Labourer

22

04-August-1900

Liverpool, England

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Canada

Carthaginian

 

 

James Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1879

M

S

none

23

21-March-1902

Glasgow, Scotland

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Canada

Sardinian

 

 

J. Enterkin

Enterkin

Unk

Unk

Unk

Unk

Unk

18-March-1905

Liverpool, England

Sekondi-Takoradi

Ghana (Gold Coast)

Sokoto

 

 

John Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1874

M

S

Engineer

32

03-February-1906

Glasgow, Scotland

New York, USA

USA

Ethiopia

 

 

Jas Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1879

M

S

Boilermaker

31

14-October-1910

Glasgow, Scotland

Quebec

Canada

Grampian

 

 

John Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1895

M

 

Miner

18

25-April-1913

Glasgow, Scotland

New York, USA

USA

California

 

 

Mary Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1902

F

 

Millworker

17

29-November-1919

Glasgow, Scotland

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Canada

Cassandra

 

 

Wm. J. Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1896

M

 

Iron Turner

24

01-October-1920

Glasgow, Scotland

Quebec

Canada

Cassandra

 

 

Jna Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1899

F

M

Housewife

21

11-December-1920

Glasgow, Scotland

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Canada

Cassandra

 

 

John Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1896

M

 

Miner

26

08-February-1922

London, England

Melbourne, Victoria

Australia

Berrima

c/- 13 Union St., Tillicoultry, Clackmananshire

 

Rbt. Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1899

M

 

Plater

23

23-February-1922

Southampton, England

Wellington, NZ

New Zealand

Tainui

9 Bedley St, Springburn, Glasgow

 

Alexander Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1921

M

S

none

1

02-August-1922

London, England

Melbourne, Victoria

Australia

Benalla

13 Union St., Tillicoultry

 

Margaret Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1896

F

M

Housewife

26

02-August-1922

London, England

Melbourne, Victoria

Australia

Benalla

13 Union St., Tillicoultry

 

N. F. Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1901

M

 

Miner

22

07-December-1923

London, England

Melbourne, Victoria

Australia

Osterley

3 Lower Mill St., Tillicoultry

 

Jean Baird Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1898

F

S

Shirt maker

27

06-August-1925

London, England

Sydney, NSW

Australia

Ballarat

39 Espedair St. Paisley, Scotland

 

Isabell Entrekin

Entrekin

abt. 1906

M

 

Student

21

30-August-1927

Southampton, England

New York, USA

USA

Mauretania

26 Cockspur st. London

 

Ina Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1889

F

M

Housewife

28

01-October-1927

Greenock, Scotland

Quebec

Canada

Montrose

5 Brands Rd., Paisley

Entry ruled through - ?missed the boat?

Ina Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1889

F

M

Housewife

28

08-October-1927

Greenock, Scotland

Quebec

Canada

Montcalm

5 Brands Rd., Paisley

 

Isa Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt 1901

F

 

SalesWoman

29

19-September-1930

Glasgow, Scotland

New York, USA

USA

Cameronia

483 Edinburgh Rd. Glasgow

 

Kathleen J Entrekin

Entrekin

abt. 1923

F

 

 

23

04-May-1946

Southampton, England

New York, USA

USA

Queen Mary

16 Wembley Rd, Canton, Cardiff, S. Wales

Dependant of T/4 R.E. Enterkin, ASN 36446069, US Army, 712 West Main St., Decatur, Illinois.

Kathleen Entrekin

Entrekin

Abt. 1923

F

 

Housewife

27

15-June-1950

Southampton, England

New York, USA

USA

Mauretania

26 Northumberland Sy. Cardiff, Wales

 

E. Enterkin

Enterkin

Abt. 1917

F

M

none

34

12-April-1951

Southampton, England

Durban (Port Natal)

South Africa

Capetown Castle

10 Lyttelton Place [Hagley, Stourbridge, West Midlands]

 

Elizabeth Entrekin

Entrekin

16 Apr 1889

F

M

Housewife

66

23-June-1955

Southampton, England

New York, USA

USA

Queen Elizabeth

 

 

Lyle Entrekin

Entrekin

19 May 1889

M

M

Retired

66

23-June-1955

Southampton, England

New York, USA

USA

Queen Elizabeth

 

 


HOW MANY ENTERKIN/ENTERKEN and similar SURNAMES ARE THEREACROSS THE GLOBE?

Estimates that I have been able to gather are shownbelow.  In more modern times, most peoplewith these surnames, or variants, live in either the USA or Australia.  In 2014 the surnames had all but disappearedin Scotland, the country of origin and England. – see Table 1.

Table 1.  WORLD POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR ENTREKIN & ENTERKIN RELATED SURNAMES - 2014

 

ENTREKIN

ENTREKEN

ENTRIKIN

ENTRIKEN

ANTRIKIN

ENTRICKEN

ENTRICKIN

ENTERKIN

ENTERKINE

TOTAL

United States

2,269

31

432

260

39

9

3

320

13

3,376

Scotland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26

 

26

England

 

 

 

1

1

 

 

15

 

17

Australia

13

 

 

197

 

 

 

12

 

222

NETHERLANDS

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

8

Brazil

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

Switzerland

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

Dominican Republic

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Equatorial Guinea

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Hong Kong

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Singapore

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

1

China

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

New Zealand

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Turkey

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Total

2,292

31

435

458

40

17

3

374

13

3,663

Population estimates by Forebears.io

Table 2 gives an estimate of the number of the number of people who have carried the Entrikin/Enterkin in the 19thC (or at least 1903 – 1980), based on the Australian Federal Government electoral rolls for the period.  The numbers shown are cumulative over that period.  The Federal electoral rolls contained all persons eligible to vote at the time (includes women from 1902 on), who were over the age of 21 years up to the 1977 election when the age was reduced to 18 years.  Thee were Ent** surnames in Australia prior to that time, but it is a tedious matter to collate those numbers – another project for the future.

Looking at the people involved together with other historical information, it would appear that a family using the name Entriken arrived in Queensland sometime in the late 1800s while a separate family using the name Enterkin arrived in Victoria in the 1920s

Table 2:  AUSTRALIA POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR ENTREKIN & ENTERKIN RELATED SURNAMES: 1903 - 1980

STATE

ENTREKIN

ENTREKEN

ENTRIKIN

ENTRIKEN

ANTRIKIN

ENTRICKEN

ENTRICKIN

ENTERKIN

ENTERKINE

TOTAL

ACT

0

0

0

4

0

0

0

0

0

4

NSW

0

0

0

6

0

0

0

0

0

6

QLD

0

0

0

60

0

7

0

0

0

67

VIC

0

0

0

2

0

2

0

12

0

16

WA

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

2

SA

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

TAS

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

NT

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

TOTAL

0

0

0

74

0

9

0

12

0

95







[1] https:

//www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

[2] Summaryof the Enterkin/Enterkine Birth, Marriage and Death Registrations in Scotlandheld by ScotlandsPeople compiled by GVB.