Contents [hide]

McBurney History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

McBurney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the name McBurney come from the ancient Scottish tribe known as the Dalriadans. They lived along the rugged west coast of Scotland and on the Hebrides islands and used the name to indicate a person who lived in Brennath in Moray, where the name became Birnie. Birnie is a parish in the county of Elgin. "This place is said by some to have been the site of the first cathedral of the diocese of Moray; and it is probable that Simeon de Tonei, one of the bishops, was buried here, in 1184". 1

The village of Birnie was originally called Brenuth, from brae-nut, which means "hazel trees". Natives of Birnie, using a local dialect, also called the village Burn-nigh, which means near the burn river. This local name, particularly in medieval times, is prefixed by "de", which means "from." 2

During the Middle Ages, the Birney family became a part of the landed gentry and they wielded considerable prestige and influence in the region of the Scottish borderlands.

Early Origins of the McBurney family

The surname McBurney was first found in Elginshire a former county in northeastern Scotland, in the present day Scottish Council Area of Moray, where Birnie Kirk, a Church of Scotland church built c. 1140 is still found today. It was the first cathedral of the Bishop of Moray. The church is one of the oldest in Scotland to have been in continuous use through the centuries.

"James de Brennath (the early form of the place name), burgess of Elgin, was one of an inquest concerning the King's garden there in 1261. William de Brennath, dictus Tatenel, witnessed the gift by Hugh Herock, burgess of Elgin, to the church of Elgin in 1286, and Andrew de Bienach was clerk to Sir Dovenald, earl of Mar in 1291. Walter de Branach was the king's chaplain in Moray, 1360. William de Byrneth, canon of the church of Moray, appears as a witness in 1463, Nicholas Birne was a chaplain in 1514, and William Byrny was burgess of Edinburgh in 1558." 3

Birnie Loch is a man-made loch located in North East Fife from a flooded gravel pit. Birnie Island is a small, uninhabited coral island, 20 hectares in area, part of the Phoenix Island group in central Pacific ocean named after the London firm Alexander Birnie & Co in 1823.

The MacBirnie (MacBurnie and MacBurney) variant was first found in 1466 when David M'Birny was a witness in Kirkcudbright. 3

Early History of the McBurney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McBurney research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1500, 1520, 1563, 1584, 1591, 1619, 1680 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McBurney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McBurney Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of McBurney have been recorded over the years, including These are the result of the medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English. Birnie, Birney, Birny, Birnye, Byrnye, Byrny, Berney, Birne, Byrne, McBirny, McBirnie, McBurny, McBurnie and many more.

Early Notables of the McBurney family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McBurney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McBurney Ranking

In the United States, the name McBurney is the 8,549^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the McBurney family to Ireland

Some of the McBurney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McBurney migration to the United States +

Settlers from Scotland put down roots in communities all along the east coast of North America. Some moved north from the American colonies to Canada as United Empire Loyalists during the American War of Independence. As Clan societies and highland games started in North America in the 20th century many Scots rediscovered parts of their heritage. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name McBurney were among those contributors:

McBurney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaret McBurney, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767
John McBurney, aged 23, who landed in New York in 1798 5

McBurney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew McBurney, who settled in Philadelphia in 1842
Isabella McBurney, who landed in New York, NY in 1843 5
James McBurney, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 5
Robert McBurney, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1862 5
Agnes McBurney, aged 25, who landed in America from Scotland, in 1893
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McBurney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Harry McBurney, aged 25, who landed in America from Scotland, in 1902
Edward McBurney, aged 29, who landed in America from Monaghan, in 1904
Esther McBurney, aged 16, who immigrated to America from Antrim, in 1905
John McBurney, aged 48, who landed in America from Scotland, in 1905
Margaret McBurney, aged 53, who settled in America, in 1906
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McBurney migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McBurney Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. William McBurney, aged 19 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Caithness-shire" departing from the port of Belfast, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 6

McBurney migration to Australia +

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

McBurney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William McBurney, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

McBurney 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:

McBurney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John McBurney, aged 44, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 8
Martha McBurney, aged 35, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 8
Samuel McBurney, aged 9, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 8
Alfred W. McBurney, aged 2, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 8
Mr. John Mcburney, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Assaye" arriving in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 26th December 1874 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McBurney (post 1700) +

John F. McBurney III (b. 1950), American politician, Member of the Rhode Island Senate (1975-2011)
Andrew Graham McBurney (1817-1894), American Republican politician, 8th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (1866-1868) 9
Charles McBurney (1845-1913), American surgeon who described McBurney's point
Charles McBurney (b. 1957), American member of the House of Representatives for Florida
Charles McBurney (1914-1979), American archaeologist
James Raymond "Jim" McBurney (1933-2019), Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played in one game for the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1952–53 NHL season
Judith McBurney (1948-2018), Australian actress, voice-over artist and model
Gerard McBurney (b. 1954), British composer, arranger, broadcaster, teacher and writer
William B. McBurney (d. 1892), Irish poet who used the pseudonym Carroll Malone
Simon Montagu McBurney OBE (b. 1957), English actor, writer, director and founder and artistic director of Théâtre de Complicité in England, now called Complicite
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The McBurney 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: Sapere aude incipe
Motto Translation: Dare to be wise, begin at once

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 42)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
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 2011, August 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html