Show ContentsMcClafferty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The first family to use the name McClafferty lived in the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It was used as a nickname for a prominent ruler. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Fhlaithbheartaich, which means son of the dominion bearing, or son of the ruler. The name is a cognate of the Irish name Flaherty, which is Flaithbheartach in Gaelic. Flaithbheartach, in modern Irish, means generous or hospitable, which may hint at some of the qualities that are described by the name McClafferty.

Early Origins of the McClafferty family

The surname McClafferty was first found in Islay, one of the Hebridean islands, and Court of the Lords of the Isles from very ancient times. The MacLavertys, MacLevertys, and variations on that spelling were heralds of the great Lords of the Isles, the first Dalriadan kingdom of Scotland.

The MacLiver variant is an interesting one. "The old pronunciation was Macleever, [while] the modern is Macliver. A commission was granted Campbell of Auchinbrek and others in 1619 to apprehend Ewne M' Finla VcGillevir in Kilchoane, and John McEwne VcIlliver, who had been denounced rebels by Campbell of Barbreck. John Roy M'Gilliver in Islay, 1686. Sometimes confused with Macclure, q. v. M'Ileur (in Islay) 1733." [1]

Early History of the McClafferty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McClafferty research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1524 and 1540 are included under the topic Early McClafferty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McClafferty Spelling Variations

Medieval translation of Gaelic names could not be referred to as an accurate process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and names in documents from that era are riddled with spelling variations. McClafferty has been written as MacLaverty, McLaverty, McLafferty, MacLafferty, MacLardy, MacLardie, McLardy, McLardie, MacLeverty, McLeverty, MacLacharty, McLacharty and many more.

Early Notables of the McClafferty family

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

Ireland Migration of the McClafferty family to Ireland

Some of the McClafferty family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McClafferty migration to the United States +

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

McClafferty Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Neil McClafferty, who arrived in America in 1795 [2]
McClafferty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Pat, Neil, John and Cornelius McClafferty, who settled in Philadelphia between 1834 and 1860
  • Charles McClafferty, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1860 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name McClafferty (post 1700) +

  • Mark McClafferty (b. 1949), American film and television producer and writer, known for his work on The Climb
  • Carla Killough McClafferty (b. 1958), American author of non-fiction for children, 2006 Children's Book Award Winner
  • Edith McClafferty (1960-2010), American politician, Member of the Montana House of Representatives (2010-)

USS Arizona
  • Mr. John Charles Mcclafferty, American Boatswain's Mate Second Class from Ohio, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [3]


The McClafferty 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: Per mare per terras
Motto Translation: By sea and by land.


  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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