Geikie

This interesting name, with variant spellings, Geikie and Geggie, is of Scottish territorial origin from the lands of Gagie in the parish of Murroes. The area is believed to have been so called from the Gaelic "gagai" meaning cracked or fissured probably referring to the surface appearance of the land. The surname first appears on record in the mid 15th Century, (see below). One, Patrick Geky appears as one of the tenants of Cupar-Angus in the rental book of that abbey, (1453) and Sir Andrew Gagye, a cleric, was master of the place of Gaduane in 1529. In 1589, one, William Geikie was tenant of the Mill of Craig in the parish of Glenilay, 1663. On November 28th 1689, Alexander Geeky and Jane Churchill were married in St. Benet Fink, London, and on January 2nd 1785, Louisa, daughter of James and Margaret Geekie, was christened in St. Vincent Street Scotch Church, Stepney, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Geky, who had a lease of Cowpar Grange, which was dated 1453, in the "Rental Book of Cupar-Angus", during the reign of King James 11 of Scotland, 1437 - 1460. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.