Show ContentsMcCahill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of McCahill was Mac Cathail or O Cathail, while is derived from the personal name Cathal, which is generally Anglicized as Charles. McCahill is derived from the Old Irish "catu-ualos" which means "valor or powerful in battle".

Early Origins of the McCahill family

The surname McCahill was first found in County Kerry and Tipperary as there are at least two distinct septs of the name. The first sept from County Kerry descend from the Heremon line of kings and were known as the Cahills of Connaught. The second sept claim descent from the Ir line of kings and were located at Corkashinny, or the parish of Templemore, Tipperary. This line further branched to the eponymous Ballycahill, Tipperary. Both branches descended from O'Connors, the Kings of Connacht, specifically "Cathal," also known as Conor na Luinge Luaithe, when anglicized means "Conor, the Swifter-Sailing Ship" [1] which may elude to the seafaring coat of arms used by the family.

Early History of the McCahill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCahill research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1654, 1796 and 1864 are included under the topic Early McCahill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCahill Spelling Variations

Numerous spelling variations of the surname McCahill exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Cahill, O'Cahill, Kahill, Cawhill, Cahille, Cahil, Cahaly, Cahell, Cahel, Caughell, Kahil, Kahel, Caill, Cail and many more.

Early Notables of the McCahill family

Notable among the family name at this time was Flan O'Cahill, martyred in 938; Daniel O'Cahill, brother of Bogh O'Cahill, chief of the Clan, forfeited under the...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCahill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McCahill migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name McCahill:

McCahill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • E McCahill, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [2]
  • Patk. McCahill, aged 19, who settled in America from Donegal, in 1893
  • Mary McCahill, aged 20, who immigrated to America, in 1895
  • Annie McCahill, aged 25, who settled in America from Belfast, in 1895
  • Denis McCahill, aged 38, who immigrated to the United States from Donegal, in 1898
McCahill Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • James McCahill, aged 21, who settled in America from Donegal, in 1900
  • Michael McCahill, aged 30, who landed in America from Donegal, in 1901
  • John McCahill, aged 23, who landed in America from Donegal, in 1905
  • Annie McCahill, aged 35, who landed in America from Donegal, in 1906
  • Thomas J. McCahill, aged 68, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada McCahill migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCahill Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • George McCahill, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor Gordon" in 1834

New Zealand McCahill migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

McCahill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Patrick Mccahill, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Martaban" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1856 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name McCahill (post 1700) +

  • Mark P. McCahill (b. 1956), American developer of Internet technology
  • Crystal McCahill (b. 1983), American model
  • Thomas Jay "Tom" McCahill III (1907-1975), American automotive journalist
  • Jim McCahill (b. 1939), English football chairman


The McCahill 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: In Domino confido
Motto Translation: I trust in the Lord.


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. 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)
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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