Culloch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Among the clans of the Scottish/English Borderlands, the Strathclyde Britons were the first to use the name Culloch. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Cullach, meaning boar.

Early Origins of the Culloch family

The surname Culloch was first found in Wigtownshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhaile na h-Uige), formerly a county in southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway where one of the first on record was Andrew MacCulloch who served King William the Lion of Scotland and received the lands of Myretoun (now Monreith near Whitehorn in Wigtown). However ancient records show the Clan as being mentioned in the year 743 in that area.

Early History of the Culloch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Culloch research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1354, 1470, 1640, 1697 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Culloch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Culloch Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Culloch has been spelled MacCulloch, MacCullagh, MacCully, MacCullough, MacCulley, MacCullaugh, MacCullock, MacCullie, MacLulich and many more.

Early Notables of the Culloch family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Sir Godfrey McCulloch, 2nd Baronet of Mertoun (c.1640-1697), a Scottish politician executed for the murder of William Gordon who died from a shot in the leg, partly as a result of a long-standing feud...
Sir Walter Scott, a distant relative quoted a story that McCulloch was in fact saved from execution by a gnome whom he had done a favour for earlier in life, and that he was never seen again...

Migration of the Culloch family to Ireland

Some of the Culloch 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.

Culloch migration to the United States +

The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them:

Culloch Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Culloch, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1
Betty Culloch, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 1
Margaret Culloch, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 1
Mary Culloch, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 1
Thomas Culloch, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Culloch 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: Vi et animo
Motto Translation: By strength and courage.

Citations +

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)