Show ContentsMcConnel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The sea-swept Hebrides islands and the west coast of Scotland are the ancestral home of the McConnel family. Their name comes from the Gaelic word Mac-Dhomhnaill, which translates to mean the son of the mightiest one in the world.

Early Origins of the McConnel family

The surname McConnel 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 census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the McConnel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McConnel research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1546 is included under the topic Early McConnel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McConnel Spelling Variations

Medieval translation of Gaelic names could not be referred to as an accurate process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and names in documents from that era are riddled with spelling variations. McConnel has been written as MacConnell, MacConnal, MacConnel, Connell and others.

Early Notables of the McConnel family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McConnel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the McConnel family to Ireland

Some of the McConnel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McConnel migration to the United States +

Many of the ancestors of Dalriadan families who arrived in North America still live in communities along the east coast of Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence many of the original settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the ancestors of many Scots began recovering their collective national heritage through Clan societies, highland games, and other patriotic events. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name McConnel or a variant listed above:

McConnel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Francis McConnel, who arrived in Frederick County, Maryland in 1797 1
  • John McConnel, who arrived in Frederick County, Maryland in 1797 1
McConnel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • David McConnel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 1
  • James McConnel, who arrived in America in 1811 1
  • Robert McConnel, aged 19, who landed in New York in 1812-1813 1
  • Alexander McConnel, who landed in New York in 1830 1
  • Andrew McConnel, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 1
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada McConnel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McConnel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • George McConnel, who landed in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1773
  • Mr. Charles McConnel U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 2
McConnel Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Richard McConnel, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
  • Isabella McConnel, aged 21, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833

New Zealand McConnel 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:

McConnel Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William McConnel, aged 22, a baker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blenheim" in 1840
  • Elizabeth McConnel, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blenheim" in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name McConnel (post 1700) +

  • Brigadier-General Mervin Gilbert McConnel (1882-1948), American Adjutant-General of Idaho (1925-1946) 3

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. John Wanklyn Mcconnel, English 1st Class Passenger from Manchester, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 4


  1. 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)
  2. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  3. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) Mervin McConnel. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McConnel/Mervin_Gilbert/USA.html
  4. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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