This surname comes from a landholding family adopting the name of their principal seat, the feudal barony of Moncreiffe in Perthshire. The lands themselves take their name from the Gaelic, ‘Monadh croibhe’, which means ‘Hill of the sacred bough’. The plant badge of the clan is the oak, presumably referring to the sacred tree. Moncreiffe Hill, which dominates the southeast Perth valley, was a stronghold of the Pictish kings, thereby connecting the clan with the lands of Atholl and Dundas, both held by branches of the Picto-Scottish royal house.

The late Sir lain Moncreiffe of that Ilk (1919-1985), Albany Herald and chief of the clan, asserted that the coat of arms of the red royal lion on a silver shield, were the colours of the house of Maldred, Regent of Cumbria and brother of Duncan I. This indicates that they were early cadets of Maldred’s line, who was himself of the ancient royal house of Ireland, a descendent of King Niall of the Nine Hostages. The three main lines of the family descend from the eighth Laird of Moncreiffe, who died around 1496, and are distinguished by the spelling of the name. The Moncreiffes of Moncreiffe are the chiefly line, while the principal cadets are the Lords Moncreiff of Tulliebole and Moncrieff of Bandirran, from whom the Scott-Moncreiffs and the Moncreiffs of Kinmonth descend.

The twelfth Laird, Sir John Moncreiffe, was sheriff of Perthshire, and in April 1626 he was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia. The title included a nominal grant of 1,600 acres in Canada, to be called New Moncreiffe, but the grant was never taken up. The twenty-fourth Laird’s sister, Miss Elizabeth Moncreiffe of Moncreiffe, was next in line for the chiefship, but she declared that it was her wish that it be assumed by her cousin, Sir lain, the Baron of Easter Moncreiffe, while she retained the feudal barony of Moncreiffe. She built a modern country house on the site of the old seat which incorporates the doorway reclaimed from the ashes of the burned house. Sir lain died in 1985 and the chiefship reverted to Miss Moncreiffe. She died in 1998 and was succeed by Sir Iain’s son, Peregrine Moncreiffe of that Ilk, the current chief, a member of the Royal Company of Archers (the royal bodyguard in Scotland) and resident of the Channel Islands.