Cormeck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
Wales

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 Cormeck is Mac Cormaic, derived from the forename Cormac.

Early Origins of the Cormeck family

The surname Cormeck 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 Cormeck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cormeck 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 Cormeck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cormeck Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Cormeck were found in the many archives researched. These included Cormack, MacCormack, McCormack, McCormick, MacCormick, Cormac, Cormick, Cormyck, Kormack, Kormick, Cormach, Cormich, Cormiche and many more.

Early Notables of the Cormeck 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 friend Read both "pleaded their bellies," asking for mercy because they were pregnant. In accordance with English common law, both women received a temporary stay of execution until they gave birth. Read died in prison, most likely from a fever from childbirth; the fate of...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cormeck Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cormeck family

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Cormeck: Daniell Cormack who settled in Virginia in 1643; Christopher Cormack settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1731; Patrick Cormack settled in New York State in 1804.

The Cormeck 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.