MacCormick History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

In ancient Scotland, the first people to use the name MacCormick were part of a tribe known as the Strathclyde Britons. The name is derived from the Gaelic name MacChormaig, which derives from the given name Cormac, meaning charioteer.

Early Origins of the MacCormick family

The surname MacCormick was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), a Southern area, bordering on England that today forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Area, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the MacCormick family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacCormick research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1132, 1733, 1750, 1756, 1757, 1758, 1794, 1799, 1811, 1865 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

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. MacCormick has been spelled MacCormack, MacCormick, MacCormock, McCormick, McCormack, McCormock, Maccormick, Maccormack, Maccormock, McArmick, McCarmick, McCarmike, McKermick, Makarmik, McCornick, Cornick, Cormack, M'Kernock, MacCornack and many more.

Early Notables of the MacCormick family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Joseph MacCormick (1733-1799), Scottish divine, son of John Maccormick, a minister at St. Andrews, born in that town 22 Jan. 1733. He graduated M.A. at St. Andrews University in 1750 and was granted a...
this body found itself unable to overlook Maccormick's attendance at a theatre, but it gave him a testimonial to the presbytery of Edinburgh, by which he was licensed 30 March 1757, and ordained minis...

Migration of the MacCormick family to Ireland

Some of the MacCormick family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 200 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacCormick migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

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.)

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

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html