McMean Surname History

Origins Available:
Scotland

In the mountains of Scotland's west coast and on the Hebrides islands, the ancestors of the McMean family were born. Their name comes from a devotion to St. Munn. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Gille Mhunna, which means son of the servant of St. Munn.

Early Origins of the McMean family

The surname McMean was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the McMean family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMean research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1526 and 1646 are included under the topic Early McMean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McMean Spelling Variations

In various documents McMean has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. MacMunn, MacIllmunie, MacIllmoon, MacMun and others.

Early Notables of the McMean family

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

McMean migration to the United States +

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name McMean or a variant listed above include:

McMean Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Juda and Felix McMean, who settled in Boston in 1768
Felix McMean, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1768 1
Juda McMean, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1768 1

Citations +

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)