The district of Buchan in Aberdeenshire gave rise to the surname of Buchan. It is still most commonly found in the north-east area of Scotland, in or near Aberdeenshire.
The first bearers of the name `Buchan' on record (1281) were:
Ricardus de Buchan, clerk of the bishopric of Aberdeen;
William de Buchan, a local landowner.
Sometime in the 1600s, relatives and dependents of the Erskine Earls of
Buchan assumed the surname `Buchan'; hence fulfilling one of the
requirements that Clan Buchan is a sept of
Clan Erskine. These Erskine kinsmen
included:
Thomas Buchan, a Jacobite General;
Peter Buchan, famous collector of Scottish ballads.