McSwan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The McSwan family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name McSwan is derived from Suibhne, an old Gaelic forename which probably means good-going or well-going. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac Shuibhne.

Early Origins of the McSwan family

The surname McSwan was first found in on the Isles of Skye and Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas), where they were originally a branch of the MacDonalds of Clanranald. But although the MacQueens held lands of Garafad on the Isle of Skye for several centuries it is likely that the first MacQueen was the Lord of Knapdale in Argyllshire who held Castle Sween.

Early History of the McSwan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McSwan research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1411 and 1743 are included under the topic Early McSwan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McSwan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. McSwan has appeared in various documents spelled MacQueen, MacQueon, MacSween, MacSwene, MacSweyne, MacSwan, MacCunn and many more.

Early Notables of the McSwan family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was MacQueen of Pall à Chrocain, a legendary Highland deer stalker popularly believed to have slain the last wolf Tarnaway Forest in the province of Morayshire in 1743. Apparently, he received a message from his chief, the Laird of Clan Mackintosh, that a black wolf had killed two children. He arrived late for the meeting, received a tirade from his chief only to reveal from under his garment the head of the wolf. He described the event as...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McSwan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McSwan family to Ireland

Some of the McSwan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McSwan migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name McSwan or a variant listed above:

McSwan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary McSwan, aged 20, who arrived in America, in 1893
Grace McSwan, aged 21, who arrived in America, in 1897

McSwan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John McSwan, aged 60, who arrived in America from Glasgow, in 1905
Norman McSwan, aged 4, who arrived in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1906
Kenneth McSwan, aged 50, who arrived in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1906
John McSwan, aged 30, who arrived in America from Hamilton, Scotland, in 1910
Peter McSwan, aged 29, who arrived in America from Paisley, Scotland, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McSwan 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:

McSwan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. A. McSwan, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1858 1
Mrs. McSwan, Scottish settler with 2 children travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1858 1
Mr. William McSwan, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1859 1
Mr McSwan, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1859 1

Citations +

New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html