MacDonald History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Scotland-Alt 
  Scotland 
  Ireland 


The ancestors of the MacDonald family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from the Anglicized version of the Gaelic personal name Mac Dhomhnuill. MacDonald is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. The surname MacDonald arose from the vernacular naming tradition, whereby surnames were formed by adopting the given name of one's father, or another ancestor. This name was first found in Kintyre, where members of this family had resided for many years.

Most historians note the name claims descent through the High Kings of Ireland, namely Colla Uais and Conn of the Hundred Battles. Movement between Scotland and Ireland was very frequent over the centuries. 1

Early Origins of the MacDonald family

The surname MacDonald was first found in Kintyre, and much of the Eastern islands and coast-lands where members of this Clan, descended through Somerled, Lord of the Isles and had resided for many years.

Early History of the MacDonald family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacDonald research. Another 300 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1329, 1335, 1336, 1341, 1342, 1386, 1415, 1420, 1424, 1449, 1456, 1498, 1603, 1692 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacDonald History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacDonald Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name MacDonald include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include MacDonald, Macdonald, McDonald, Donaldson, MacDonny and many more.

Early Notables of the MacDonald family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

MacDonald World Ranking

In the United States, the name MacDonald is the 821st most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name MacDonald is ranked the 10th most popular surname with an estimated 78,766 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name MacDonald is the 140th popular surname with an estimated 20,149 people with that name. 4 New Zealand ranks MacDonald as 52nd with 5,280 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks MacDonald as 132nd with 38,244 people. 6

Migration of the MacDonald family to Ireland

Some of the MacDonald family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


MacDonald migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name MacDonald or a variant listed above:

MacDonald Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
MacDonald Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
MacDonald Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

MacDonald migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

MacDonald Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
MacDonald Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

MacDonald migration to Australia +

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

MacDonald Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

MacDonald migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

MacDonald Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

MacDonald migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16
MacDonald Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name MacDonald (post 1700) +


The MacDonald 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: Per mare per terras
Motto Translation: By sea and by land.


Suggested Readings for the name MacDonald +
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