McElhattyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

On the Scottish west coast, the McElhattyn family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from a devotion to St. Catan, a saint of whom little is known but who was revered throughout the west coast of Scotland between the islands of Bute and Skye. The Gaelic form of the name was Mac Gille Chatain, which means son of St. Catan's servant.

Early Origins of the McElhattyn family

The surname McElhattyn was first found in the area of Argyllshire on the Isle of Bute, and literally translated means the "servant of St. Catan," the patron saint of Bute, Skye, Colonsay, Gigha. St. Catan was said to have lived at the Abbey of Inchaffray on the isle of Skye.

Early History of the McElhattyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McElhattyn research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1424, 1465, 1670, 1672 and 1685 are included under the topic Early McElhattyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McElhattyn Spelling Variations

In various documents McElhattyn has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. McIlhatton, McElhatton, McElhatten, McGillecattan, McIlchattan, McHilhatton, Makelatyn, Macklehatton, McHatton and many more.

Early Notables of the McElhattyn family

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

Migration of the McElhattyn family to Ireland

Some of the McElhattyn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McElhattyn family

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: James McElhatten settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866; Arthur, Alexander, Cornelius, and John McIlhattan and McIlhatten settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1860 and 1866.