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McCombs History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

McCombs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The McCombs surname comes from the Gaelic MacComaidh, which is in turn from MacThomaidh or MacThom. The same Gaelic names have often been Anglicized Thomson. 1

Early Origins of the McCombs family

The surname McCombs was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

"The 'b' was introduced into the name about the end of the eighteenth century. MacComy was a common surname in Breadalbana 250 and more years ago. The Glenshee MaacComies date their rise from the latter half of the fourteenth century. They appear as a distinct family in Glenshee in the sixteenth century, and in a feu-charter of the lands of Finnegand and Glenbeg granted in 1571 to John M'Comy Moir they are described as being 'ab antiquo' tenants and possessors of these lands." 1

Early History of the McCombs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCombs research. Another 254 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1508, 1540, 1542, 1556, 1586, 1587, 1595, 1623, 1638, 1644, 1645, 1663, 1696, 1760 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCombs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCombs Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacComb, MacCombe, MacCombie, MacCombs, MacCome, MacComie, McCome, McKComb, Mackcome, McComey, Coomey and many more.

Early Notables of the McCombs family

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

McCombs Ranking

In the United States, the name McCombs is the 2,986^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Migration of the McCombs family to Ireland

Some of the McCombs family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCombs migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCombs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander McCombs, who landed in America in 1802 3
James McCombs, aged 32, who landed in New York in 1812 3
Samuel McCombs, who arrived in Texas in 1835 3
George McCombs, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 3

McCombs 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:

McCombs Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George McCombs, aged 31, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
Kate McCombs, aged 31, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
James McCombs, aged 2, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876
Charles McCombs, aged 2 months, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name McCombs (post 1700) +

Billy Joe "Red" McCombs (1927-2023), American businessman, founder of the Red McCombs Automotive Group in San Antonio, Texas, a co-founder of Clear Channel Communications, namesake of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans with an estimated value of $1.6 billion
William Frank McCombs (1876-1921), American lawyer and politician, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1912-1916)
Colin McCombs (b. 1970), American writer and game designer
Cal McCombs (b. 1945), former American football player and coach
James Holland McCombs (1901-1991), American journalist
Willard Eugene McCombs (1925-2004), American Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly
Cass McCombs (b. 1977), American songwriter and performer
John McCombs Jr. (1763-1857), American architect
Douglas McCombs (b. 1962), American musician, who plays bass and guitar with the instrumental rock band Tortoise
Sir Terence Henderson "Terry" McCombs OBE, ED (1905-1982), New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, 24th Minister of Education (1947-1949), 15th High Commissioner from New Zealand to the United Kingdom (1973-1975)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The McCombs 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.

Citations +

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)
"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)