Show ContentsMcCartin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name McCartin has seen many modifications since the time in which it was first devised. In Gaelic it appeared as Mac Artain, which means son of Art.

Early Origins of the McCartin family

The surname McCartin was first found in County Down (Irish:An Dún) part of the Province of Ulster, in Northern Ireland, formerly known as county St Mirren, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McCartin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCartin research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1350 and 1735 are included under the topic Early McCartin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCartin Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best due to competing dialects and languages, and the general illiteracy of the population. Research into the name McCartin revealed many spelling variations, including MacCartan, MacCarten, MacCartain, Carton and others.

Early Notables of the McCartin family

More information is included under the topic Early McCartin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McCartin migration to the United States +

Irish families began to migrate to North America in the late 18th century in the hopes of gaining their own plot of land. The majority of these early immigrant families were relatively well off because the transatlantic passage was costly. As a result the decision to immigrate was carefully made. Those immigrants that arrived in the late 1840s differed because their decision to leave was in direct response to the Great Potato Famine. Many of the families that crossed the Atlantic during this decade were destitute, either having spent all they had on the fare or even starting with nothing, but being sponsored by a philanthropic society. Whenever, these Irish families came to North America, they were made great contributions to the developing nations of the United States and what would come to be known as Canada: the earlier settlers as land clearing homesteaders, and the later immigrants as the muscle that would build the industries and routes of transportation so critical to a powerful nation. Research into the passenger and immigration lists has shown many early and significant Irish immigrants bearing the name McCartin:

McCartin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Barnard McCartin, who landed in New York, NY in 1826 1
  • Michael McCartin, aged 24, who landed in Missouri in 1840 1
  • Jane McCartin, aged 19, who arrived in New York, NY in 1849 1
  • Annie McCartin, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, in 1893
  • Bernard McCartin, aged 25, who settled in America from Ireland, in 1893
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
McCartin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • James McCartin, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Ballinamore, Ireland, in 1910
  • Lawrence McCartin, aged 29, who landed in America from Bsallinamore, Ireland, in 1910
  • Julia McCartin, aged 18, who settled in America from Casthwellan, Ireland, in 1910
  • James McCartin, aged 20, who landed in America from Foxfield, Ireland, in 1911
  • John Mccartin, aged 20, who landed in America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1911
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand McCartin 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:

McCartin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Mccartin, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Inchinnan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 27th May 1852 2

Contemporary Notables of the name McCartin (post 1700) +

  • Joseph A. McCartin (b. 1959), American professor of history
  • John Joseph "Joe" McCartin (b. 1939), retired Irish Fine Gael party politician
  • Robert McCartin (b. 1952), professional Australian rules footballer
  • Mandy McCartin (b. 1958), English artist


The McCartin 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: Buailim se
Motto Translation: I Strike him.


  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. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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