Family name origins & meanings
- Scottish : of obscure origin. This name was established at Inchinnan, near Renfrew, from the 16th century onward. A history of Renfrew cited by Black affirms that the family was ‘‘of Italian origin, the first of them having come from Rome in the suite of one of the abbots of Paisley.’’ This appears to be no more than speculation based on the fact that the name ends in -o. No Italian source has been identified, and -o is regularly found as a ending of pet forms in Scottish. It is more likely to be a pet form of the Middle English personal names Algernon or Algar (see Alger).