Hi Peter, I have no specific info but would suggest a couple of hypotheses to play with. 1. The name appears to be, like many Caithness/Orkney names, a Norse patronymic. It may have arrived in Germany from a non Scots origin (e,g, Norway, Faroes, etc.) 2. Thousands of Scots served in Germany in the thirty years war (1618-1648). Gustavus Adolphus had several regiments of Scots in the Swedish army. Some with your name may have remained behind. Best of luck in your quest. Don Munro Germantown, MD ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Shevlin" <peter.shevlin@virgin.net> To: <SCT-CAITHNESS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 11:55 AM Subject: Ganson > Hi > > I'm presently trying to trace the movements of people with this surname > and am assured that they are a sept of clan Gunn.The problem is that my > ancestors with this name can be traced back to Magdeburg in Germany > during the 17th century and I am wondering if anyone has any idea how > they might have ended up there. It is not a German name and there are > many of them in the USA and more in the German telephone book than in > Caithness or Orkney. Why? Any ideas would be welcome.They are all non > conformists, Lutherans, Moravians etc. > > Peter Shevlin > >