Contents [hide]

McCartney History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

McCartney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the first family to use the name McCartney lived among the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. The name McCartney comes from the Gaelic name Mac Cartaine, which is a variant of Mac Artain. This means son of Artan and is a diminutive of the old personal name Art.

Early Origins of the McCartney family

The surname McCartney was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records 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 McCartney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCartney research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1630, 1651, 1660, 1672, 1690, 1692, 1703, 1713, 1714, 1724, 1727, 1730, 1737, 1757, 1760, 1770, 1792, 1793, 1797 and 1806 are included under the topic Early McCartney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCartney Spelling Variations

In medieval Scotland, names were more often spelled according to sound than any regular set of rules. An enormous number of spelling variations were the result. Over the years, the name McCartney has been spelled MacArtney, MacCartney and others.

Early Notables of the McCartney family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCartney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCartney Ranking

In the United States, the name McCartney is the 2,629^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1

Migration of the McCartney family to Ireland

Some of the McCartney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 138 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCartney migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, Ireland, Australia, and North America looked like better homes for many Scots. The trips were expensive and grueling, but also rewarding, as the colonies were havens for those unwelcome in the old country. That legacy did not die easily, though, and many were forced to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. The Scottish legacy has resurface in more recent times, though, through Clan societies, highland games, and other organizations. Immigration and passenger lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the old Scottish name of McCartney:

McCartney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James McCartney, who settled in Maryland in 1741
James McCartney, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767
Mabel McCartney, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 2

McCartney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick McCartney, who arrived in America in 1811 2
John McCartney, aged 52, who landed in Tennessee in 1812 2
Elizabeth McCartney, aged 29, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 2
Thomas McCartney, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 2
David McCartney, aged 38, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1820-1873 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCartney migration to Australia +

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

McCartney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Mccartney, (b. 1794), aged 25, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Antrim, Northern Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 3rd October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Mr. Richard Parker McCartney, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Mr. Stephen McCartney, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Samuel McCartney, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Nicol" in 1840 6
Mr. James McCartney, (Jim), Scottish convict who was convicted in Ayr, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCartney 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:

McCartney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph McCartney, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bernica" en route to Otago via passenger disembarked at Nelson, South Island, New Zealand in December 1848 8
Mrs. Jane McCartney, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bernica" en route to Otago via passenger disembarked at Nelson, South Island, New Zealand in December 1848 8
Miss Jane McCartney, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bernica" en route to Otago via passenger disembarked at Nelson, South Island, New Zealand in December 1848 8
Miss Ann McCartney, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bernica" en route to Otago via passenger disembarked at Nelson, South Island, New Zealand in December 1848 8
Miss Ruth McCartney, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bernica" en route to Otago via passenger disembarked at Nelson, South Island, New Zealand in December 1848 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McCartney (post 1700) +

Sir Paul McCartney MBE (b. 1942), English singer, songwriter, member of "The Beatles," knighted when he was awarded the MBE in 1997, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999; he has 60 gold records and sales of over 100 million albums and singles
Heather Louise McCartney (b. 1962), born Heather Louise See, an American potter and artist, daughter of Linda Eastman McCartney and adopted daughter of Paul McCartney
William Paul "Bill" McCartney (b. 1940), former American football player and coach and the founder of the Promise Keepers men's ministry, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013
Forrest S. McCartney (1931-2012), American USAF lieutenant general, director of the Kennedy Space Center (1986–1991) 9
Jesse McCartney (b. 1987), American Emmy nominated pop musician and actor
Joseph H. McCartney (1943-1992), American poet and artist
Henry A. McCartney Jr., American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Marine Corps, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
Michael McCartney (1954-2018), Scottish footballer and manager
Willie McCartney (d. 1948), Scottish football referee and manager
William Raymond "Billy" McCartney (b. 1947), Scottish former footballer
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McCartney family +

SS Caribou

Mr. M. C. McCartney, British passenger who was Royal Army was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking

The McCartney 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: Stimulat sed ornat
Motto Translation: It stimulates, but it adorns.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/castle-forbes
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WILLIAM NICOL. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840WilliamNichol.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Forrest McCartney. (Retrieved 2012, July 23) Forrest McCartney. Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/biographies/mccartney.html