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The saga of the name MacNichell begins among the Viking settlers who arrived in Scotland in the medieval era. The name MacNichell is derived from from the personal name, Nicholas. MacNichell is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. The surname MacNichell arose out of the religious naming tradition. In Christian countries, the name Nicholas was popular, owing to the legends surrounding the 4th century Lycian bishop of that name. In Catholic countries in particular, this religious figure was revered. This accounts for its popularity as a surname in Scotland. The name Nicholas came from the Greek, Nikolaos, which means conqueror of the people. In Scotland, the earliest bearers of the surname MacNichell lived on the Isle of Skye, which is located on the western coast.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacNichell research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1500, 1607, 1645, 1655, 1694, 1698, 1705, 1713, 1718, 1720, 1725, 1727, 1728 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacNichell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Contemporary spellings of ancient Scottish names often bear little resemblance to the original recorded versions. These spelling variations result from the fact that medieval scribes spelled words and names alike according to their sounds. MacNichell has been spelled MacNichol, MacNicol, MacNicoll, Nicolson, Nicholson, MacNicholas, MacNickle, MacNickel, MacNickell, MacNiccol, MacNychole and many more.
Notable amongst the Clan from early times was James Nicolson (d. 1607), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland & Bishop of Dunkeld; Thomas Joseph Nicolson (1645-1718), a Roman Catholic bishop, Vicar Apostolic of Scotland (1694-1718); William Nicolson (1655-1727)...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacNichell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The colonies on the fertile east coast of North America soon had many farms run by Scots. These hardy settlers provided a backbone for the great nations of the United States and Canada that would emerge in the next centuries. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Scottish name MacNichell or a variant listed above, including: Samuel Nicolson, who settled in New Jersey in 1664 with his wife Anne; Angus, Ann, Archibald, Jean, John, Robert, McNicol, who all arrived in Wilmington NC in 1774.