[2] Its name may be an anglicisation of the Gaelic "Àird nan Saor", or "Headland of the joiners",[3] one local legend being that carpenters working on the construction of ecclesiastical buildings on the other side of the Moray Firth were quartered here.

however, the name Ardersier is documented centuries before the Cathedrals of Fortrose and Elgin were built, and it is more likely that the name signifies its topography - a high prominence (New Statistical Account).

[4] A charter granted at Nairn refers to the locus trialis at Ardersier, and according to the historian George Bain, this may have been an ancient place of trial by wager of battle.

The Laird of Cawdor was not allowed to have peaceable possession, and he raised an action against Lachlan Mackintosh and his clansmen for the slaughter of several of his servants and tenants.

[citation needed] Today the village is a popular tourist spot due to the pleasant views, the shore, and the proximity to Fort George, which remains an active base for the British Army.