McCotter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Although Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames, the Strongbownians brought many of their own naming traditions to the island. There were, however, similarities between the two systems. The Strongbownians, like the Irish, frequently used patronymic surnames, a form of surname that was built from the name of the initial bearer's father, or another older relative. Norman patronymic names, because they were originally formed in French, were often created by the addition of a diminutive suffix to the given name, such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el. Occasionally, two suffixes were combined to form a double diminutive, as in the combinations of -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in. These Stronbownians also created patronymic names by the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, which both mean son. This prefix probably originated in Flanders or Normandy, it has disappeared from France entirely but remains common in Ireland even today. The Strongbownian surname of McCotter is derived from the popular Norse personal name Oitir. The Gaelic forms of the surname McCotter are Mac Coitir and Mac Oitir.

Early Origins of the McCotter family

The surname McCotter was first found in Oxfordshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McCotter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCotter research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1630, 1689, 1705, 1720, 1754, 1763, 1831 and 1884 are included under the topic Early McCotter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCotter Spelling Variations

Since church officials and medieval scribes spelt each name as it sounded to them; as a result, a single person could accumulate many different versions of his name within official records. A close examination of the origins of the name McCotter revealed the following spelling variations: Cotter, Cotters, Cottar, Cottare, Cotteres, Cottares, Coitter and many more.

Early Notables of the McCotter family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Sir James Fitz Edmond Cotter (c.1630-1705) Irish soldier, colonial governor and the commander-in-chief of King James's forces, in the Irish Counties of Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Kerry...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCotter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCotter migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name McCotter:

McCotter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James McCotter, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 1

Contemporary Notables of the name McCotter (post 1700) +

Thaddeus George "Thad" McCotter (b. 1965), American politician and radio host, Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee (2007-2011), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan (2003-2012)
James Douglas "Jim" McCotter (b. 1945), American entrepreneur, the former CEO of Maverick Jets
Brian McCotter (b. 1984), Irish professional basketball player

Citations +

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)