Contents [hide]

Macdonnell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

MacDonnell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland-Alt
Ireland
Scotland

The MacDonnell family history stretches back to the clans of the Dalriadan kingdom on the sea-swept Hebrides islands and mountainous western coast of Scotland. The name MacDonnell is derived from the personal name Donald. the surname is derived from the Gaelic Mac Dhomhnuill, which means son of Donald; it is a form of the surname MacDonald.

Early Origins of the MacDonnell family

The surname MacDonnell was first found in Inverness, where the origins of this name can be traced back to Somerled, Regulus of the Isles, who evicted the Norsemen from the Western Isles during the 12th century. From him is descended John Macdonald, first Lord of the Isles, and it was MacDonald's younger son, Ranald, who was the progenitor of Clanrald, which includes the families of Moidart, Morar, Knoidart and Glengarry. The MacDonells are from this last branch. It is from Ranald's son, Donald, that the MacDonell's take their name (Son of Donald). There is also a branch of the MacDonells that claim Ranald's other son, Alistair, as its progenitor (the Keppoch branch).

Early History of the MacDonnell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacDonnell research. Another 376 words (27 lines of text) covering the years 1211, 1411, 1575, 1609, 1647, 1672, 1683, 1745, 1749, 1790, 1794, 1812 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacDonnell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacDonnell Spelling Variations

Medieval translation of Gaelic names could not be referred to as an accurate process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and names in documents from that era are riddled with spelling variations. MacDonnell has been written as MacDonnell, MacDonnel, McDonnell, MacDonell and others.

Early Notables of the MacDonnell family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

MacDonnell of Glengarry

Migration of the MacDonnell family to Ireland

Some of the MacDonnell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacDonnell migration to the United States +

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name MacDonnell or a variant listed above include:

MacDonnell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John MacDonnell, who settled in Virginia in 1650

MacDonnell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Macdonnell, who landed in New York in 1773 1

MacDonnell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James MacDonnell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1
Judith MacDonnell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 1
Margaret MacDonnell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 1
Michael MacDonnell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 1
Robert MacDonnell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

MacDonnell migration to Australia +

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

MacDonnell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ann MacDonnell, (MacDonald), English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2
Patrick MacDonnell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Abberton" in 1846 3

MacDonnell 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:

MacDonnell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander MacDonnell, (b. 1856), aged 28, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bombay" arriving in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd January 1884 4
Mrs. Margaret MacDonnell, (b. 1850), aged 34, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bombay" arriving in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd January 1884 4
Mr. Archibald MacDonnell, (b. 1861), aged 23, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bombay" arriving in Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd January 1884 4

Contemporary Notables of the name MacDonnell (post 1700) +

Raymond Arthur "Ray" MacDonnell (b. 1928), American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Joe Martin on the daytime soap opera All My Children
Norman Macdonnell (1916-1979), American radio and television producer, bets known for his work on Gunsmoke (1955) and The Virginian (1962)
Mickey MacDonnell (1902-1983), American football player
John L. MacDonnell, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from New York County 15th District, 1920 5
General Sir James Macdonnell GCB, KMT, KCH (1781-1857), Scottish military officer who fought at the Battle of Waterloo
Alestair Ruadh MacDonnell (1725-1761), chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, a Scottish Jacobite who has been identified by Andrew Lang as the secret agent "Pickle," who acted as a spy on Prince Charles Edward after 1750
Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell KCMG, CB (1814-1881), Irish lawyer, judge and colonial governor, 6th Governor of Hong Kong (1866-1872), 31st Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (1864-1865)
James MacKerras Macdonnell PC CC (1884-1973), Canadian lawyer and parliamentarian, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Muskoka, Ontario (1945-1949)
Sir Antony Patrick MacDonnell GCSI, KCVO, (1844-1925), 1st Baron MacDonnell, Irish civil servant, Permanent Under-Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1902-1908); Member of the Council of India (1902); Privy Councillor (1902); Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (1895-1901); Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal (1893-1895)
Dr Richard MacDonnell (1787-1867), Irish Reformist 29th Provost of Trinity College, Dublin
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The MacDonnell 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: Per mare, per terras
Motto Translation: By water and land.

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 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ABBERTON 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Abberton.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html