Overview

MILLER

According to Wikipedia, "The origin of the Scottish 'Miller' is from a burn (rivulet) in Glasgow, namely the molindinar (Mo-lynn-dine-are), and the name has evolved over the years to molindar (Mo-lynn-dar) and to molinar (mo-lynn-ar) and to Millar and finally to Miller. The first record of the name was in Dumfriesshire. If the surname has Highland Scottish origins, the bearers are associated with Clan MacFarlane. In 1995, Miller was the 22nd most common surname on the birth, death and marriage registers in Scotland; Millar was 77th."

Variation and differences in the spelling of names was not uncommon prior to 1900. For example, you might observe that while "Miller" is often spelled with an 'e' in many of the official documents, in others it is spelled with an 'a' as "Millar," such as in the 1851 census. And although there is nothing definitive to confirm this, the 1851 census appears to be the last official record in which the family name was spelled as "Millar," after which in all documents the spelling became standardized as "Miller." According to the Scotlandspeople.gov website, "The way surnames were written in different records varied and, when searching for a person in our indexes, the spelling might differ from what you expect. This can be due to one or more of the following factors: transcription error during indexing; misspelling, phonetic spelling or other misinterpretation by registrars and clerks; deliberate or accidental misrepresentation by informants; or surname variants." 

Although Alexander 'Alec' Miller was born in the Partick neighborhood of Glasgow, his was the first generation in the family to be born there.  His paternal (Miller) ancestors hail from Abderdeen and its surrounding towns, as well as from the county Fife just northeast of Edinburgh that includes St. Andrews and the smaller coastal villages of St. Monance (Monans), Kingsbarns, and Crail.  More information on Fife, or "Fifeshire" as it was known in the 1800s, can be found at this link: Fife.

Alec Miller comes from a long-line of Millers (and first-name Alexanders!) who earned a living as skilled tradesmen. Alec's father Alexander Miller was a blacksmith; his grandfather Alexander Miller was a tinsmith; his great-grandfather William Miller was a stone mason; his great-great-grandfather Alexander Miller was a shoemaker; and Alec himself worked for much of his adult life as an automobile mechanic.

Other surnames found in the Miller branch of the family tree include Cook, Elder, Page, Taylor, Forbes, and others. 

MAIN

Many of Alec Miller's maternal ancestors come from a long line of seafaring families who lived in Footdee, Aberdeen.  Known locally by its Scots language name of "Fittie," Footdee is an old fishing village at the east end of Aberdeen Harbour. The first recorded reference to the area of Footdee was in the year 1398, however, Footdee didn't become fully developed until 1809 when it was expanded to house Aberdeen's vibrant fishing community. It was in "Fittie" that many of Alec Miller's ancestors lived and worked. Additional information can be found at this link:  Footdee.

In addition to Aberdeen, the Mains trace many of their roots to Nigg in the county Kinardineshire, which is adjacent to Aberdeen.  According to the website Genuki.org, "The village of Nigg is about 1 mile south of Aberdeen. It is situated on a peninsula, formed by the river Dee and Nigg Bay, under Girdleness Point. It formerly belonged to Arbroath Abbey, which had a cell at Abbot's Walls. In the villages of Cove and Torry the fisheries are prosecuted with success."

According to the House of Names website, "Main is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Main family lived in Maien, or Mayene, from Mayenne in Maine, Normandy and was a powerful baronial house, with Walter de Maynne listed in 976."

In addition to the explanation provided in the preceding paragraph for the origin of the Main surname, the following possible explanations are listed at the website Family Education:

- Scottish : from a reduced form of the Scandinavian personal name Magnus.

- Scottish : topographic name for a farmer who farmed the main farm on an estate.

- Scottish, English (of Norman origin), and French : from the Continental Germanic personal name Maino, Meino, a short form of the various compound names with a first element magin ‘strength’, ‘might’.

- Scottish and English (of Norman origin) : regional name for someone from the French province of Maine. Compare Mansell 1.

- Scottish and English (of Norman origin) : nickname for a large man, from Anglo-Norman French magne, maine ‘big’.

- Scottish, English (of Norman origin), and French : nickname for someone with a deformed or missing hand, from Old French main ‘hand’ (Latin manus).

And just as variations occur in the spelling of "Miller," so do they occur in the spelling of "Main," likely for many of the same reasons involving non-standard orthography and simple errors in record keeping.  And as further explained at the House of Names website: "Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Main, Maine, Mayne and others."

Other surnames found in the Main branch of the family tree include Morrice, Webster, Baxter, Robertson, Livingston, and others.