Annandale: The History Behind the Name

Have you ever wondered how the city of Annandale got its name?

Although there is not a document that definitively states how and why Annandale was chosen as the name for this area, there is a widely accepted idea that Annandale’s roots are derived from a town in Scotland.

A newspaper clipping [see PDF at right] from the Annandale Free Press from the 1960s and the book "Annandale: A Brief History" by Robert M. Moxham, attribute Annandale’s name origins to a district located on the eastern bank of the River Annan in Annandale, Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

Annan, according to the newspaper clipping means “Queen of the Border."

In her editorial account of her trip to Annan, Scotland in 1962, Carol Griffee, the first editor of the Annandale Free Press, described the town as the “commercial heart of a much larger outlying area” and compared the street’s main commercial avenue, High Street, to Little River Turnpike and Columbia Pike.

Griffee also wrote that the translation of Annandale means "Quiet Valley."

Although this is the most accepted version of how Annandale got its name, other versions, such as the account outlined in Moxham’s book, say that Annandale was named after the Lord of Annandale or Earl of Annandale from the family of Sir Robert de Brusce (or possibly Brus).

According to Moxham, Brusce’s son, also named Robert, received a patron of King David I for Srtathanand (Annandale). Robert’s son was named second Baron of Annandale and the third Robert that followed was named Lord of Annandale. Moxham’s book also states that the title of Earl of Annandale, Viscount of Annand, was given to James Johnston in 1661 by Charles II. Johnston’s son, William, became Marquis of Annandale.

Our Annandale is not the only city inspired by the Scottish town. There are several Annandales in the United States and abroad including Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.; Annandale, N.J.; Annandale, Minn.; a neighborhood in Pasadena, Calif., is called Annandale; and Annandale, New South Wales, Australia, located just west of Sydney.

Editor's Note: Annandale Patch could not independently confirm the details regarding the history of Annandale outside of the sources listed above in the article. However, we would like to offer our thanks to the for sharing the Annandale Free Press newspaper with us and the librarians at the for their help in locating a copy of "Annandale: A Brief History."

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