| ![Show Contents]() McChrystal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Anglo-Saxon name McChrystal comes from Christopher, an ancient and popular font name which has been common since the 12th century. 1 Another source claims the name was "derived from a geographical locality. 'of Cristall.' I cannot find the spot, but Yorkshire seems to have been the home of the surname." 2 Early Origins of the McChrystal familyThe surname McChrystal was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was Robert de Cristall who was registered in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2 Scotland was another homeland for the family and in this case, "it is certainly a diminutive or pet form of Christopher. The first form was an old surname in Foveran and it was not uncommon in Prestwick, Ayrshire, in the fifteenth century" 3 Early History of the McChrystal familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McChrystal research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1470, 1474, 1487, 1491, 1535, 1567, 1650, 1672 and 1790 are included under the topic Early McChrystal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McChrystal Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name McChrystal has appeared include Chrystal, Cristall, Cristoll, Cristole, Cristell, Crystal, Crystall, MacCrystall, MacCristall and many more. Early Notables of the McChrystal familyNotables of the family at this time include Thomas Crystall, (d. 1535) the twenty second abbot of a Cistercian monastery of Kinloss, near Forres in Moray. "Crystall was born in Culross in Perthshire, and educated in its monastery, a house of the Cistercians, where his talents, especially for music, attracted the attention of James Rait, the abbot, and his brother William, a skilled musician...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McChrystal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the McChrystal familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name McChrystal arrived in North America very early: James Chrystal who arrived in Philadelphia in 1868.
| Contemporary Notables of the name McChrystal (post 1700) | + |
- Herbert Joseph McChrystal (1924-2013), American Major General in the United States Army and father of Stanley A. McChrystal
- Brigadier-General Arthur John McChrystal (1893-1980), American Executive Officer to the Military Attaché to Great Britain (1942-1943) 4
- Stanley A. McChrystal (b. 1954), American retired four-star general, recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star
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: Mens conscia recti
Motto Translation: A mind conscious of rectitude.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) Arthur McChrystal. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McChrystal/Arthur_John/USA.html
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