The name Crichton means 'boundary village' and is associated with the hamlet of Crichton (Midlothian), one of the earliest Baronies in the Lothians. The name first appears in the early 12th Century. William Crichton married into the Barony of Sanquhar in the 14th Century and this branch eventually gave rise to the Crichton-Stuart Marquesses of Bute.
Sir William Crichton (d.1454) was appointed Chancellor of Scotland in 1439 and also served as Governor of Edinburgh Castle. James 'The Admirable' Crichton (1560-82) was noted for his mental and physical prowess but was killed in Italy.