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"From an English and Scottish surname which was originally derived from a place name in Lincolnshire meaning "island of Lincoln" in Old English." Source: [http://www.behindthename.com/name/lindsay]
"The name Lindsay is a common English and Scottish name, meaning "linden tree by the sea." Another source states that it is derived from a Scottish surname derived from an Old English place name meaning "Lincoln's wetland." Source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsay_%28name%29]
Clan Lindsay is a Lowland Scottish clan
"There is currently no known proven path pertaining to the origin of the Clan Lindsay. However, several possible theories have been advanced over the years. First is the theory proposed in 1769 by biographer/historian, Richard Rolt, in which he claimed that the Lindsays were of Anglo-Saxon descent. In his “Lives of the Lindsays”, first published in 1840, the 25th Earl of Crawford discounted Rolt's Anglo-Saxon descent theory and stated that the Lindsays were "distinctly" of Norman descent. Then in 1985/1990, British historian, Beryl Platts established, via an analysis of heraldic devices, the Lindsays were of Flemish descent. Much work is yet to be done before the origin of the Lindsays can be stated as proven without any doubt." Source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Lindsay]
"Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were french and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in." Source: [http://www.houseofnames.com/]
See also:
The Lindsay International Web Site [http://www.clanlindsay.com/]
[http://www.one-name.org/profiles/lindsay.html]