McCulloe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Among the clans of the Scottish/English Borderlands, the Strathclyde Britons were the first to use the name McCulloe. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Cullach, meaning boar.

Early Origins of the McCulloe family

The surname McCulloe was first found in Wigtownshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhaile na h-Uige), formerly a county in southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway where one of the first on record was Andrew MacCulloch who served King William the Lion of Scotland and received the lands of Myretoun (now Monreith near Whitehorn in Wigtown). However ancient records show the Clan as being mentioned in the year 743 in that area.

Early History of the McCulloe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCulloe research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1354, 1470, 1640, 1697 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCulloe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCulloe Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. McCulloe has been spelled MacCulloch, MacCullagh, MacCully, MacCullough, MacCulley, MacCullaugh, MacCullock, MacCullie, MacLulich and many more.

Early Notables of the McCulloe family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Godfrey McCulloch, 2nd Baronet of Mertoun (c.1640-1697), a Scottish politician executed for the murder of William Gordon who died from a shot in the leg, partly as a result of a long-standing feud. Following the execution, much of his family emigrated to America...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCulloe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McCulloe family to Ireland

Some of the McCulloe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McCulloe family

The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them: Robert MacCullaugh who settled in Jamaica in 1716; John and Jane MacCulloch settled in Charles Town in 1762; Barbara and Hugh MacCullock settled in Maryland in 1774.

The McCulloe 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: Vi et animo
Motto Translation: By strength and courage.