The derivation of the Kincaid name is uncertain, although it appears to be territorial in nature. An early reference is found in 1238 in reference to the granting of the lands of Kincaid to Sir William Galbraith, fourth chief of that Clan.

In 1280, confirmation of the lands of Kyncade was granted by the fourth Earl of Lennox. The family then took their surname from the property. The lands appear to have consisted of approximately 30,000 acres and extended from the River Glazert to the River Kelvin.

Through the centuries the Kincaids expanded their landholdings to include Blackness Castle near Linlithgow and the estates of Bantaskin near Falkirk and Craiglockhart near Edinburgh.

As a result of their support of the royalist cause in the civil wars in the 17th century, many Kincaids emigrated to North America, including four sons of Alexander Kincaid, Lord Provost of Edinburgh and the King's Printer, who were taken prisoner after Culloden but managed to escape to Virginia