Contents [hide]

McCormack History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

McCormack History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name McCormack is Mac Cormaic, derived from the forename Cormac.

Early Origins of the McCormack family

The surname McCormack was first found in Munster. The Cormacks of Munster were of great antiquity and descended directly from Nathi, brother of Felim who was King of Munster about the year 560 A.D. Cormac, son of Cabhsan, was the first chieftain to be called Cormack, and, of course, MacCormack came later as a direct descendent, Mac or Mc signifying the 'son of'.

Early History of the McCormack family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCormack research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1700, 1720, 1755, 1782, 1783, 1794, 1800, 1807, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1827, 1828, 1832, 1839, 1843, 1845, 1848, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1859, 1865, 1868, 1884 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCormack History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCormack Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, scribes listened to a person's name and then decided the spelling from there. Names, therefore, often had many spelling variations. The variations of the name McCormack include: Cormack, MacCormack, McCormack, McCormick, MacCormick, Cormac, Cormick, Cormyck, Kormack, Kormick, Cormach, Cormich, Cormiche and many more.

Early Notables of the McCormack family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Anne McCormac (c. 1700-1782), birth name of Anne Bonny, born in Cork, the infamous Irish woman who became a famous pirate, operating in the Caribbean. After her capture in 1720, she and he female friend Read both "pleaded their bellies," asking for mercy because they were pregnant. In accordance with English common law, both women received a temporary stay of execution until they gave birth. Read died in prison, most likely from a fever from childbirth; the fate of...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCormack Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCormack World Ranking

In the United States, the name McCormack is the 2,412^nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name McCormack is ranked the 424^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,806 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name McCormack is the 733^rd popular surname with an estimated 982 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks McCormack as 787^th with 8,582 people. 4

McCormack migration to the United States +

Irish immigrants began to leave the English-controlled Ireland in sizable numbers during the late 18th century. Many of these Irish immigrated to British North America or the United States in the hopes of gaining their own tract of farmland. This pattern of migration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine caused a great exodus of immigrants to North America. These immigrants differed from their predecessors in that they were desperately fleeing the disease and starvation that plagued their homeland, and many were entirely destitute when they arrived in North America. Although these penniless immigrants were not warmly welcomed when they arrived, they were critical to the rapid development of the United States and what would become known as Canada. Many went to populate the western frontiers and others provided the cheap labor the new manufacturing sector and the building of bridges, roads, railways, and canals required. A thorough examination of immigration and passenger lists has revealed some of the earliest people to arrive in North America with name McCormack or one of its variants:

McCormack Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Dennis McCormack, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1654 5

McCormack Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lawrence McCormack, aged 40, who landed in Tennessee in 1812 5
Henry McCormack, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 5
Philip McCormack, aged 23, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1843 5
Thomas McCormack, aged 26, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1843 5
Mary McCormack, aged 26, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCormack migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCormack Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Duncan McCormack, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

McCormack Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James McCormack, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
Catherine McCormack, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
Elenor McCormack, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1840
Mrs. Catherine McCormack, aged 25 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Champion" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 6
Mr. John McCormack, aged 64 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Erin's Queen" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCormack migration to Australia +

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

McCormack Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Isabella McCormack, English convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Miss Rose Mccormack, (McCormick), (b. 1804), aged 22, Irish convict who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Patrick McCormack, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Bernard Mccormack, Irish convict who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for 10 years for theft, transported aboard the "Duke of Richmond" on 21st September 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Patrick Mccormack, (b. 1828), aged 15, Irish convict who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for theft, transported aboard the "Duke of Richmond" on 21st September 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1909 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCormack 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:

McCormack Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John McCormack, aged 24, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Seringapatam" in 1856
Mrs. Catherine Mccormack, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 11
Miss Ellen Mccormack, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 11
Mr. Owen Mccormack, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 11
Miss Ann Mccormack, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McCormack (post 1700) +

John Brendan McCormack (1935-2021), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Manchester from 1998 until 2011
James P. McCormack, American Democratic Party politician, Judge of New York Supreme Court 10th District, 2017 12
Keith McCormack (1940-2015), American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known for co-writing "Sugar Shack" with his aunt which sold over one million copies in the United States in 1963
William Jerome McCormack (1924-2013), American Prelate of Roman Catholic Church
Michael Joseph "Mike" McCormack (1930-2013), American NFL football player and coach, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984
Patty McCormack (b. 1945), American Academy Award nominated actress
Eric James McCormack (b. 1963), Canadian-born, American actor, musician, writer and producer
Sean McCormack, former United States Assistant Secretary of State (2005 to 2009)
Charles K. McCormack, American politician, Mayor of Albany, Oregon, 1953-56 12
Charles J. McCormack (d. 1915), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Richmond County, 1903; Borough President of Richmond, New York, 1914-15 12
... (Another 43 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McCormack family +

HMS Halsted

Mr. Patrick McCormack (b. 1909), British Royal Navy stocker 1st class was stationed aboard the "HMS Halsted" when it was struck by torpedo by Jaguar and Mowe of the Cherbourg coast on 11th June 1944, he did not survive

Mount Mulligan Mine

Rowland McCormack, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Donald Mccormack, English Assistant Telegraphist from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 13

RMS Titanic

Mr. Thomas Joseph McCormack, aged 19, American Third Class passenger from Bayonne, New Jersey who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 15 14

The McCormack 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: Sine Timore
Motto Translation: Without fear.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 43)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-richmond
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html