Surname: Sinclair

The name was originally St. Clair, coming from the town in France now known as St. Clair sur l'Epte. Many Normans had settled there for a while, and took on the name before moving to the Highlands of Scotland. Once they arrived in Scotland, the name was changed (through error in translation, I suppose) to Sinclair. So, anyone with the name Sinclair, even if they can't trace it back that far, had ancestors in Scotland. When my ancestor, Alexander Sinclair, came to America in 1698, the name was changed (again, the same way) to Sinkler. Two generations later, it was changed back to Sinclair, and another after that, changed back to the original version of St. Clair. The Sinclairs in the Highlands were, and are still, many. Most maps of Scotland show Sinclair Bay in the Highlands in North West Scotland. The Clan Sinclair is still large there today. "Commit thy work to God" is the motto of the Clan Sinclair, and is also on the crest.