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• Arms: (Of that Ilk and of Edgersstoun LR 1/207) Argent, an orle Gules, in chief three martlets Sable beaked of the Second
  
• Crest: A marlet Sable beaked Gules
  
• Motto: Nec sorte nec fato (Neither by chance nor fate)
  

The clan Rutherford comes from the lands of Rutherford near Maxton in Roxburgshire and there are two possible origins of the name. One explanation is that Rutherford is derived from "Rue the Ford", a name given to a site on the Tweed where an English army abandoned a strong position to attack a Scottish force on the other bank, but were soundly defeated for their troubles. The other explanation says that a man named Ruther guided an ancient king of Scots over a little-known ford in River Tweed, helping him to attain victory over the Northumbrians. According to the story, the King then rewarded Ruther with a grant of land named after the crossing.

The earliest records of this name come from the early tenth century and since that time the Rutherfords have had a strong military tradition, being fierce defenders of their lands, especially against the English. One instance of this was during the Battle of the Red Swire at Carterfell in July of 1575. During a meeting that was made for the purposed of negotiations, an English army attacked a Scots army and initially drove them back. However, a force led by Thomas Rutherford ("The Black Laird of Edgerston") was able to defeat the English force and capture several of it's officers.

Another member of this clan achieved fame not for his exploits in warfare, but for his contributions to the science of physics. Ernest Rutherford was the discoverer of the alpha particle and the developer of the theory of atomic structure. He is generally credited as laying the groundwork of modern nuclear physics and was knighted in 1914. He was later also appointed to the Order of Merit in 1925, 12 years before his death in 1937.