This is clearly a surname which was given to a son who had the same forename as his father (similar to the "Jr" used in the USA or to the "Mac" in early Gaelic names). While this has resulted in many disparate strands of Young genealogy, the name has a registered tartan and family crest ( a lion rampant with a raised sword). It is the 19th most frequent surname in Scotland.
The earliest documented occurrence of the name was a John Young in Dingwall who witnessed a charter by the Earl of Ross in 1342 and a Symone Yong (sic) was a burgess of Elgin in Moray around the same time. Alexander Young was a chaplain to the House of the Holy Trinity in 1439 and Peter Young (born in Dundee in 1544) was a tutor to the three-year-old King James VI on the recommendation of the Regent Moray. He was knighted in 1605 in London after the Union of the Crowns.
Peter Young's son had extensive grants of land in Ireland and the name is now common in the counties of Antrim, Tyrone, Down and Londonderry.
James Young (1811-1883) was a chemist who developed a method of extracting paraffin from shale and coal - earning himself the nickname "Paraffin Young" in the process.
George Younger (1851-1929) expanded the family brewing company in Alloa and became a prominent politician, eventually becoming Viscount Younger of Leckie. George 1st Viscount, was nephew (by blood) to William McEwan the famous Scottish brewer. George Younger (1931-2003), former Secretary of State for Scotland was 4th Viscount Leckie of Younger and great grandson of his namesake. He became chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland after holding a number of positions in the UK cabinet, including Secretary of State for Scotland and Defence Secretary in Margaret Thatcher's government
The Young clan motto is "Robore prudentia praestat" which means "Prudence excels strength".
There is a Young clan Web site here.
