Cormac History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Cormac is Mac Cormaic, derived from the forename Cormac.

Early Origins of the Cormac family

The surname Cormac was first found in Munster. The Cormacks of Munster were of great antiquity and descended directly from Nathi, brother of Felim who was King of Munster about the year 560 A.D. Cormac, son of Cabhsan, was the first chieftain to be called Cormack, and, of course, MacCormack came later as a direct descendent, Mac or Mc signifying the 'son of'.

Early History of the Cormac family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cormac research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1700, 1720, 1755, 1782, 1783, 1794, 1800, 1807, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1827, 1828, 1832, 1839, 1843, 1845, 1848, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1859, 1865, 1868, 1884 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cormac History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cormac Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The standardized literary languages of today were not yet reached. Research into the name Cormac revealed spelling variations, including Cormack, MacCormack, McCormack, McCormick, MacCormick, Cormac, Cormick, Cormyck, Kormack, Kormick, Cormach, Cormich, Cormiche and many more.

Early Notables of the Cormac family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Anne McCormac (c. 1700-1782), birth name of Anne Bonny, born in Cork, the infamous Irish woman who became a famous pirate, operating in the Caribbean. After her capture in 1720, she and he female frie...

Cormac 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:

Cormac Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Cormac, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1843

Contemporary Notables of the name Cormac (post 1700) +

Cormac McCarthy (1933-2023), born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., an American writer who authored twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007 for The Road, widely regarded as one of the greatest modern American writers
Cormac Murphy- O'Connor (1932-2017), English prelate, Archbishop of Arundel and Brighton (1977–2000) and Westminster (2000–2009)
Cormac Bane, Irish Gaelic footballer from Galway
Cormac Cullinan, South African environmental attorney and author
Cormac Wibberley (b. 1959), American screenwriter and producer, son of Leonard Wibberley
Cormac McArdle (b. 1982), Irish soccer player
Cormac Breslin (1902-1978), Irish Fianna Fáil politician

The Cormac 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: Sine Timore
Motto Translation: Without fear.