Show ContentsMcBirney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Dalriadan kingdom of ancient Scotland was the home of the ancestors of the McBirney family. Their name indicates that they lived in Brennath in Moray, where the name became Birnie. Birnie is a parish in the county of Elgin. "This place is said by some to have been the site of the first cathedral of the diocese of Moray; and it is probable that Simeon de Tonei, one of the bishops, was buried here, in 1184". [1]

The village of Birnie was originally called Brenuth, from brae-nut, which means "hazel trees". Natives of Birnie, using a local dialect, also called the village Burn-nigh, which means near the burn river. This local name, particularly in medieval times, is prefixed by "de", which means "from." [2]

During the Middle Ages, the Birney family became a part of the landed gentry and they wielded considerable prestige and influence in the region of the Scottish borderlands.

Early Origins of the McBirney family

The surname McBirney was first found in Elginshire a former county in northeastern Scotland, in the present day Scottish Council Area of Moray, where Birnie Kirk, a Church of Scotland church built c. 1140 is still found today. It was the first cathedral of the Bishop of Moray. The church is one of the oldest in Scotland to have been in continuous use through the centuries.

"James de Brennath (the early form of the place name), burgess of Elgin, was one of an inquest concerning the King's garden there in 1261. William de Brennath, dictus Tatenel, witnessed the gift by Hugh Herock, burgess of Elgin, to the church of Elgin in 1286, and Andrew de Bienach was clerk to Sir Dovenald, earl of Mar in 1291. Walter de Branach was the king's chaplain in Moray, 1360. William de Byrneth, canon of the church of Moray, appears as a witness in 1463, Nicholas Birne was a chaplain in 1514, and William Byrny was burgess of Edinburgh in 1558." [3]

Birnie Loch is a man-made loch located in North East Fife from a flooded gravel pit. Birnie Island is a small, uninhabited coral island, 20 hectares in area, part of the Phoenix Island group in central Pacific ocean named after the London firm Alexander Birnie & Co in 1823.

The MacBirnie (MacBurnie and MacBurney) variant was first found in 1466 when David M'Birny was a witness in Kirkcudbright. [3]

Early History of the McBirney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McBirney research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1500, 1520, 1563, 1584, 1591, 1619, 1680 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McBirney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McBirney Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of McBirney include Birnie, Birney, Birny, Birnye, Byrnye, Byrny, Berney, Birne, Byrne, McBirny, McBirnie, McBurny, McBurnie and many more.

Early Notables of the McBirney family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McBirney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the McBirney family to Ireland

Some of the McBirney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McBirney migration to the United States +

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name McBirney or a variant listed above include:

McBirney Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Alexander McBirney, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 [4]
McBirney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John McBirney, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767
McBirney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James McBirney, who settled in Philadelphia in 1844
  • Jane McBirney, aged 40, who immigrated to America, in 1894
  • John L. McBirney, aged 43, who landed in America, in 1894
  • Thomas McBirney, aged 19, who settled in America from Belfast, in 1894
McBirney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Frank McBirney, aged 50, who immigrated to the United States from Fermanagh, in 1903
  • Robert McBirney, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Monaghan, in 1904
  • Mary McBirney, aged 46, who landed in America, in 1906
  • Mary C McBirney, aged 48, who settled in America, in 1907
  • Norma McBirney, aged 33, who landed in America, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McBirney (post 1700) +

  • Nettie Williams McBirney (1887-1982), American inventor, writer and entrepreneur from Tulsa, best known for her cooking column under the pseudonym Aunt Chick for the Tulsa Daily World (1935 to 1955) and her invention of the Cooky Molding Cutter, now known as Gramma's Cutter
  • Sam P. McBirney (1877-1936), American football coach and banker, vice president of the Tulsa Bank of Commerce (1904 to 1936)
  • Arthur P. McBirney, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1927; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1928 [5]
  • James Hugh McBirney (1870-1944), Irish-born immigrant from Tipperary to America when he was five years old, he founded the Bank of Commerce in Tulsa in 1904, known for his McBirney Mansion in Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Robert Martin McBirney QC (1922-1974), Irish magistrate and politician from Northern Ireland who was assassinated
  • Hugh McBirney Stimson (1931-2011), American sinologist and linguist


The McBirney 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: Sapere aude incipe
Motto Translation: Dare to be wise, begin at once


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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