Contents [hide]

McNair History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

McNair History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The history of the ancestors of the McNair family begins among the Pictish clans ancient Scotland. The name McNair comes from the personal name John. The Gaelic form of their name was originally Mac-Iain-uidhir, which means son of dun John. However, the McNair family of Perth traditionally derive their name from M'an-oighre, which means son of the heir. Experts have also theorized that the surname McNair may be derived from Mac-an-fhuibir, which means son of the smith, or Mac-an-huidhir, which means son of the stranger.

Early Origins of the McNair family

The surname McNair was first found in Perth, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Further to the south in England, the Menaire, Menear, Manhire and other variants claim descent from Walter Maenhir who was listed in Devon in 1293. The very rare variant Manhire traces back to Ellis Menheire who was listed in Devon in 1642. 1

Early History of the McNair family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McNair research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1392, 1526, 1546, 1776 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McNair History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McNair Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name McNair include MacNair, MacNaire, MacNayer, MacNeir, MacNuir, Menair and many more.

Early Notables of the McNair family

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McNair Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McNair Ranking

In the United States, the name McNair is the 1,628^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 2

Migration of the McNair family to Ireland

Some of the McNair family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McNair migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of McNair:

McNair Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John McNair, a Highland Scott, from Kilkenny, Argyll, who settled in America in 1770 with his 2 surviving children and settled in Robeson County, North Carolina
John McNair, who arrived in Virginia in 1785 3

McNair Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James McNair, aged 61, who landed in New York in 1812-1813 3
Barnard McNair, aged 67, who landed in North Carolina in 1813 3
Janet McNair, her husband and four children, who settled in Charleston in 1821
Catherine McNair, who arrived in Nevada in 1855 3
William L McNair, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 3

McNair migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McNair Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ann McNair, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ranger" in 1834
Sarah McNair, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ranger" in 1834

McNair migration to Australia +

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

McNair Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John McNair, English Convict from Northumberland, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4
Robert McNair, aged 33, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "James Fernie" 5
Rachel McNair, aged 27, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Taymouth Castle" 6
Neil McNair, aged 22, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"
Elizabeth McNair, aged 20, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Bee"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McNair 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:

McNair Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Peter McNair, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Jane McNair, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Archibald McNair, aged 4, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
James McNair, aged 33, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 7
Martha McNair, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McNair (post 1700) +

Barbara Jean McNair (1935-2007), American singer and actress, known for her many appearances in film and stage including Sidney Poitier's wife in They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970), The Pajama Game (1973) and many more
Robert C. "Bob" McNair (1937-2018), American businessman, philanthropist, and the owner of the NFL Houston Texans
Denise McNair (1952-1963), American Baptist parishioner who was killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award that the U.S. Congress can award a civilian
General Lesley James McNair (1883-1944), American Commander in Chief Army Ground Force (1942-1944) 8
Steve LaTreal McNair (1973-2009), American NFL football quarterback
Evander McNair (1820-1902), Brigadier General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
Frederick V McNair (1882-1962), American Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, veteran of the American Civil War
Ronald Erwin McNair (1950-1986), NASA mission specialist, one of the astronauts killed during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger 9
Harold V. McNair, American politician, Burgess of Middletown, Pennsylvania, 1933-37 10
Charles C. McNair, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Hatboro, Pennsylvania, 1865-67, 1869-86 10
... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
South Australian Register Friday 17th November 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) James Fernie 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/jamesfernie1854.shtml
South Australian Register Tuesday 26th June 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Taymouth Castle 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/taymouthcastle1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, May 9) Lesley McNair. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McNair/Lesley_James/USA.html
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Ronald McNair. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mcnair.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html