Surnames of Irish origin have experienced many changes in their spellings and forms. Before being translated into English, McNammar appeared as Mac Conmara, which means "hound of the sea" or "warrior of the sea."
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Early Origins of the McNammar family
The surname McNammar was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where MacConmara or MacNamara was chief of the territory of Clan Caisin, now the barony of Tullagh. The family was also sometimes styled chiefs of Clan Cuilean; derived from Cuilean, one of their chiefs in the eighth century. This ancient family have traditionally held the high office of hereditary marshals of Thomond.
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Early History of the McNammar family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McNammar research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1402, 1426, 1768, 1797 and 1826 are included under the topic Early McNammar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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McNammar Spelling Variations
Many variations of the name McNammar were found in archives from the Middle Ages. These variations can be somewhat explained by the challenge of translation of Gaelic names into English. Hence, the spelling and language in which the people's names were recorded was often up to the individual scribe. Variations of the name McNammar found include McNamara, McNamar, McNamarra, McNamard, Sheedy and many more.
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Early Notables of the McNammar family
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McNammar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the McNammar family
Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name McNammar or one of its variants: Augustine McNamara who arrived in St. John's Newfoundland in 1794; Bridget, Elizabeth, James, John, Martin, Mathew, Michael, Patrick, Timothy and William McNamara, who all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..
Ireland
