Clan Trotter

The surname Trotter, or Troter, is of French origin, coming from the old French word trotier (trotteur in modern French) meaing a runner, or messenger.
This surname was common in the Borders, and the head of the Trotter border clan was Trotter of Prentannan, Berwickshire. The name can also be found in northern England, and is especially common in County Durham.
One of the oldest Trotter families, the Trotters of Mortonhall, in the south of Edinburgh, are said to date back to sometime in the 14th century, during the reign of Robert II.
An inquisition at Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1370 saw John Trottir serve as a juror.
There is record of a John Trottar of Fluriswall in 1478, and a declaration by John of Roull in 1479 was witnessed by George Trottar and Sanderis Trottar.
In 1479, Parliament called upon John Trottare and Alexander Trottare to answer to the allegations of treason, along with other crimes.
In 1512, son and heir of quondam Ninian Trotter, John Trotter, had a charter for a carucate (roughly 120 acres) called Waringzes land in Coldingham, Berwickshire.
Between 1561 and 1800, the surname Trotter is common in the Commissariot Record of Lauder.