Family Origins

Tradition traces the decents of the family to a John, son of a knight, Jacob de Rankine, burgomaster of Ghent who married a daughter of the house of Keith.

From Scotland to America via Ulster

A branch of the Scotch Rankins, including an Alexander Rankin and his seven sons, left Scotland to escape religious persection and settled in the Ulster province in Northern Ireland between 1600 and 1700. From there, the brothers and their families made their way to America, with many settling Pennsylvannia. It is from this group of Rankins that many of the American families descended.