Show ContentsCord History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Cord family

The surname Cord was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire. "MacCoard, Maccord, Maccourt: Maccord is an old surname in the parish of Ballantrae." 1

The same source notes the name is the "same as MacCuarta, MacCuairt, 'not improbably a corruption of MacMhuircheartaigh.' " 1

Early History of the Cord family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cord research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1471, 1473, 1544, 1627 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cord History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cord Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacCord, McCord, MacCoard, McCoard, MacCourt, McCourt, McCourtie, McCordie, McCourty, McCordy, M'Cord, M'Corde, Makcorde, Mac Cuarta and many more.

Early Notables of the Cord family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Chief Nigel M'Corde

Ireland Migration of the Cord family to Ireland

Some of the Cord family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 124 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Cord migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cord Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ann Cord, who landed in Maryland in 1675 2
  • Sarah Cord, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 2
  • William Cord, who landed in Maryland in 1675 2
  • James Cord, who arrived in Virginia in 1696 2
Cord Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Chrism, Cord Jr., who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
  • Ernst Cord, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
  • Christ, Cord Sr., who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
  • Peter Cord, aged 20, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1776 2
Cord Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Cord, who landed in New York in 1847 2

Australia Cord migration to Australia +

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

Cord Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Cord, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Cord (post 1700) +

  • Alex Cord (1933-2021), born Alexander Viespi Jr., an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, better known as Archangel, in 55 episodes of the television series Airwolf (1984–1986)
  • Errett Lobban "E. L." Cord (1894-1974), American founder of the Cord Corporation in 1929 which held over 150 companies, Cover of Time magazine 18 January 1932 and 23 April 1934
  • Chris Cord (b. 1940), American race car driver, grandson of Errett Lobban Cord
  • Ronnie Cord (1943-1986), born Ronald Cordovil, a Brazilian singer
  • Cord Meyer, American Democratic Party politician, New York Democratic State Chair, 1904-06 4


  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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