Thomson Family of Star, Fife

Meaning ‘son of Thom, Thomson (the Scottish variant of Thompson) is one of the most numerous surnames in Scotland, ranking third most popular by the Registrar General in 2003.

This site concerns the descendants of an Andrew Thomson, who was likely to have been born in Star and his wife Margaret Grieg.

Andrew and Margaret were married in 1697 and had ten children in the village, most of who had descendants who stayed in the vicinity until well into the twentieth century, and throughout Victorian times, few moved away from the area. Outwith the rambling Village of Star, Thomsons also settled nearby in Kennoway and Markinch. To date there are 172 known descendants of the couple

Star takes it’s name from Starr, an old Scots word meaning sedge. In 1831 the population of Star was 232 and for many years a large proportion of individuals in the village were employed as Linen Weavers. When this industry collapsed, many residents turned to crofting beside their cottages. Photographs of Star taken in May 2006 by Scott Wishart can be seen here.

This research is an ongoing project by Scott Wishart with the kind help of Ian, Jim and Julie Thomson.

For a full list of Thomsons, or see to see places associated with the family click the following buttons. To perform a basic search of the database please fill out the form below.