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The Dalriadan clans of ancient Scotland spawned the ancestors of the MacElhattyn family. 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.
The surname MacElhattyn 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacElhattyn research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1424, 1465, 1670, 1672 and 1685 are included under the topic Early MacElhattyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English created many spelling variations of the same name. MacElhattyn has been recorded as McIlhatton, McElhatton, McElhatten, McGillecattan, McIlchattan, McHilhatton, Makelatyn, Macklehatton, McHatton and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early MacElhattyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name MacElhattyn, or a variant listed above: James McElhatten settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866; Arthur, Alexander, Cornelius, and John McIlhattan and McIlhatten settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1860 and 1866.