Show ContentsMcQuillin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname McQuillin is derived from the personal name Hugelin, which is a diminutive of Hugh. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Uighilin.

Early Origins of the McQuillin family

The surname McQuillin was first found in County Antrim (Irish: Aontroim) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland, where they were granted lands by Strongbow after the Anglo/Norman invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Specifically, "The MacQuillans were lords of the territory of the Routes, in co. Antrim, holding their chief residence in the fine old sea-girt castle of Dunluce." MacLysaght agrees "The MacQillans are of Norman-Welsh descent: they settled soon after the invasion in the territory called the Route (co. Antrim.)" [1]

One of the first records of the family was Malcolm MacQuillan who died in 1307. Little is known of his heritage, but what we do know is that he was granted safe conduct by the English so he could assail Scottish forces, on Scotland's western seaboard, with his galley fleet. He was part of a fleet of eighteen galleys with 1,000 men who landed near Stranraer, now a town in southwest Scotland in Inch, Dumfries and Galloway. But, this force was quickly overwhelmed by local forces led by Dungal MacDouall. MacQuillan was captured and executed. His head and the heads from two Irish chiefs were sent back to King Edward I.

Early History of the McQuillin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McQuillin research. Another 217 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1307, 1315, 1442, 1485, 1542, 1559 and 1750 are included under the topic Early McQuillin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McQuillin Spelling Variations

Since church officials and medieval scribes spelt each name as it sounded to them; as a result, a single person could accumulate many different versions of his name within official records. A close examination of the origins of the name McQuillin revealed the following spelling variations: McQuillan, McQuillen, McQuillian, McQuillin, McQuillon, McCailin, McAilin, MacQuillian, MacQuillon, MacCaillion, MacQuillin, MacQuillan, McKillan, McQuilland, McAiland, McAylin, McCaillion, McKillion, McKillin, McKillon, MacKillan, MacQuilland, MacAyland, MacAilan, Quillan and many more.

Early Notables of the McQuillin family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Malcolm MacQuillan (died 1307) Irish nobleman who was granted safe conduct by the English so he could assail Scottish forces, on Scotland's western seaboard, with his galley fleet in July 1300. However, the invasion force was quickly overwhelmed by local forces. Malcolm was captured and summarily executed with the Irish sub king. The heads of McQuillan and two Irish chiefs were sent to King Edward I.In 1485, Rory MacQuillan founded a late Franciscan foundation named Bonamargy Friary situated in County Antrim...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McQuillin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McQuillin migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name McQuillin:

McQuillin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Andrew, Michael, Thomas McQuillin all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
  • Alexander McQuillin, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 [2]

Australia McQuillin migration to Australia +

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

McQuillin Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name McQuillin (post 1700) +

  • Cynthia McQuillin (1953-2006), American singer and writer who lived in the San Francisco Bay area
  • Brigadier-General Raymond Eugene McQuillin (1887-1982), American Commander Southwest Sector, Eastern Defense Command (1945-1946) [4]
  • Robert McQuillin FGS FRSE, Scottish scientist and author, Fellow or the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1986, Fellow of the Geological Society of London in 1970


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  4. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, May 9) Raymond McQuillin. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McQuillin/Raymond_Eugene/USA.html


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