Show ContentsMacCormick History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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 MacCormick is Mac Cormaic, derived from the forename Cormac.

Early Origins of the MacCormick family

The surname MacCormick 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 MacCormick family

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

MacCormick 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 MacCormick 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 MacCormick 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 MacCormick Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States MacCormick migration to the United States +

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 MacCormick:

MacCormick Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas MacCormick, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 [1]
  • Esther MacCormick, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 [1]
  • James MacCormick, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 [1]
  • John MacCormick, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 [1]
  • John MacCormick, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 [1]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia MacCormick migration to Australia +

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

MacCormick Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas MacCormick, British convict who was convicted in Derbyshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [2]
  • Mr. Patrick MacCormick, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [3]
  • Mr. Samuel MacCormick, British Convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [4]
  • Ann MacCormick, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Angelina" on April 25, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name MacCormick (post 1700) +

  • Donald J. MacCormick, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Wisconsin Democratic State Central Committee, 1944; Candidate for Wisconsin State Senate 25th District, 1950 [6]
  • John MacDonald MacCormick (1904-1961), nationalist politician
  • William MacCormick, Industrial Hygienist
  • Edward MacCormick, Professor of German


The MacCormick 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.


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  5. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Angelina voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 171 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/angelina/1844
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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