McKintosh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The McKintosh surname comes from the Anglicized form of the Gaelic name, Mac an Toisich. McKintosh is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronymic surnames were formed by adopting the given name of an ancestor of the bearer, while others came from popular religious names, and from the names of secular heroes. The surname McKintosh comes from the Gaelic name Mac an Toisich, which means "son of the chief, leader, or thane." Members of this distinguished Pictish family were originally found in Moray.

Early Origins of the McKintosh family

The surname McKintosh was first found in Moray (part of the modern region of Grampian). The McKintosh family is said to descend from Seach MacDuff, who was awarded the lands of Petty and Breachley in Inverness-shire and was appointed Constable of Inverness Castle for his support of King Malcolm IV in the suppression of a rebellion in Morayshire in 1160. A son of Seach then assumed the name "Mac-an-Toisch," and thus began the Clan MacIntosh.

Early History of the McKintosh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McKintosh research. Another 424 words (30 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1314, 1336, 1396, 1411, 1594, 1704, 1715, 1745, 1746, 1833, 1890 and 1957 are included under the topic Early McKintosh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McKintosh Spelling Variations

Translation has done much to alter the appearance of many Scottish names. It was a haphazard process that lacked a basic system of rules. Spelling variations were a common result of this process. McKintosh has appeared Kyntosh, Intosh, Intoch, Toshe, Tosh, McKyntosh, McKintosh, McKintoisch, McKintoch, McIntosh, McComtosh, McKintowse, McIntosh, MacKyntosh, MacIntoch, MacIntosh, McIntoch, Mackintowse, MacKintosh and many more.

Early Notables of the McKintosh family

More information is included under the topic Early McKintosh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McKintosh family to Ireland

Some of the McKintosh family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McKintosh family

Many Scots left their country to travel to the North American colonies in search of the freedom they could not find at home. Of those who survived the difficult voyage, many found the freedom they so desired. There they could choose their own beliefs and allegiances. Some became United Empire Loyalists and others fought in the American War of Independence. The Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up in the last century have allowed many of these disparate Scots to recover their collective national identity. A search of immigration and passenger ship lists revealed many early settlers bearing the McKintosh name: Enoch Macintosh, who came to Virginia in 1668; Henry Mackintosh, who arrived in Boston in 1702; Adam Macintosh, who settled in Georgia in 1736; John Mackintosh, who came to Georgia in 1736.

The McKintosh 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: Touch not the cat bot a glove
Motto Translation: Don't touch the cat without a glove.