It is difficult to trace the aristocratic Haldane Family roots back to one source, however, most information points back to Gleneagles, the ancestral residence of the family. Records show a presence here since 1265. Others, however, trace the aristocratic House of Haldane back to Admiral Adam Duncan, the famous Naval hero and compatriot to Lord Nelson. Admiral Duncan was born and raised in Scotland and later founded a city in Fife[?], on the border with Tayside, around his Camperdown Estate. With an extensive endowment bequeathed in Duncan's will, his Camperdown estate on outskirts of Dundee has since been converted into a large park, golf course and nature reserve.
Notable members include:
- Alexander Chinnery-Haldane, Scottish episcopal bishop
- A. R. B. Haldane, Scottish social historian, writer
- Daniel Rutherford Haldane, Scottish physician
- Elizabeth Haldane, first female Justice of the Peace in Scotland
- Graeme Haldane, Scottish engineer
- James Haldane, Scottish cleric
- J. B. S. Haldane, British geneticist and evolutionary biologist
- John Haldane, MP for Scotland in the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
- Lord Richard Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, Lord Chancellor, "'Father of the Territorial Army'"
- Robert Haldane
- John Joseph Haldane, aristocrat; British philosopher; art critic; political commentator; papal advisor
- James Aylmer Lowthorpe Haldane, British soldier
- John Scott Haldane, British physician
- Naomi Margaret Haldane, British writer
- William Stowell Haldane, Crown Agent for Scotland
Almer de Haldane was a Scottish noble whose signature is found on the Ragman Rolls of King Edward I of England in 1296. Almer de Haldane later sided with King Robert the Bruce of Scotland during the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English.
The designation "de Haldane," at that time, indicated a territorial designation. It is quite possible that someone took the name "Haldane" from feudal tenure of an ecclesiastical barony. There was a "Barony of Halydean' in several shires. The hallowed abbot of these Norman monasteries was the dean of the monastery. Grave stones around several abbeys show old names such as Halydean, Holydean, Halidene, Haldene, Haldane, Halidane, et cetera. Corruptions such as Holden and others are likely to all have similar ancient Norman roots.