MacCabe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The Dalriadan clans of ancient Scotland spawned the ancestors of the MacCabe family. Their name comes from the Gaelic form Mac-Aba, which means son of the Abbot.

Early Origins of the MacCabe family

The surname MacCabe was first found in on the Isle of Arran, where they held a family seat from early times. The family name MacCabe first appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the MacCabe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacCabe research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1890 is included under the topic Early MacCabe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacCabe Spelling Variations

The medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English created many spelling variations of the same name. MacCabe has been recorded as MacCabe, McCabe, McAbe, MacAbe and others.

Early Notables of the MacCabe family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

MacCabe, Constable of Oriel and Breffny

Migration of the MacCabe family to Ireland

Some of the MacCabe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacCabe migration to the United States +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name MacCabe, or a variant listed above:

MacCabe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Betsy MacCabe, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1
James MacCabe, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1
Patrick MacCabe, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1
John MacCabe, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 1
Pat MacCabe, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1816 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

MacCabe migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

MacCabe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Maccabe, (b. 1824), aged 19, English shoe maker who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years for stealing transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1845 2

Contemporary Notables of the name MacCabe (post 1700) +

James F. Maccabe, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 9th District, 1896-97 3
Gladys Maccabe MBE (1918-2018), Northern Ireland artist from Randalstown, County Antrim
Francis Peter MacCabe (1817-1897), Irish-born, Australian surveyor in the colony of New South Wales, eponym of MacCabe Park, Wollongong, Australia
Dominick MacCabe, Irish politician, Member of Seanad Éireann from 1938 to 1948
Edward MacCabe (1816-1885), (or McCabe) Irish Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin from 1879 to 1882
Christopher George Maccabe CB (b. 1946), former Political Director of the Northern Ireland Office
Brian Farmer MacCabe (1914-1992), English silver medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Gladys Maccabe MBE (b. 1918), Northern Ireland artist
Colin MacCabe (b. 1949), British writer and film producer
Thomas MacCabe, Australian Clergyman

The MacCabe Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Aut Vincere Aut Mori
Motto Translation: Either to conquer or die.

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html