McCulley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
In the Scottish/English Borderlands, the Strathclyde Britons were the first to use the name McCulley. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Cullach, meaning boar.
Early Origins of the McCulley family
The surname McCulley was first found in Wigtownshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhaile na h-Uige), formerly a county in southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway where one of the first on record was Andrew MacCulloch who served King William the Lion of Scotland and received the lands of Myretoun (now Monreith near Whitehorn in Wigtown). However ancient records show the Clan as being mentioned in the year 743 in that area.
Early History of the McCulley family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCulley research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1354, 1470, 1640, 1697 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCulley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McCulley Spelling Variations
Scribes in Medieval Scotland spelled names by sound rather than any set of rules, so an enormous number of spelling variations exist in names of that era. McCulley has been spelled MacCulloch, MacCullagh, MacCully, MacCullough, MacCulley, MacCullaugh, MacCullock, MacCullie, MacLulich and many more.
Early Notables of the McCulley family
Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Godfrey McCulloch, 2nd Baronet of Mertoun (c.1640-1697), a Scottish politician executed for the murder of William Gordon who died from a shot in the leg, partly as a result of a long-standing feud. Following the execution, much of his family emigrated to America...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCulley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McCulley Ranking
In the United States, the name McCulley is the 5,051st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1
Migration of the McCulley family to Ireland
Some of the McCulley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McCulley migration to the United States +
The number of Strathclyde Clan families sailing for North America increased steadily as the persecution continued. In the colonies, they could find not only freedom from the iron hand of the English government, but land to settle on. The American War of Independence allowed many of these settlers to prove their independence, while some chose to go to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots played essential roles in the forging of both great nations. Among them:
McCulley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- James McCulley, aged 50, who arrived in Tennessee in 1812 2
- Robert McCulley, aged 44, who arrived in Tennessee in 1812 2
- Mary Ellen McCulley, aged 18, who arrived in America, in 1895
- Matha G. McCulley, aged 32, who arrived in America, in 1896
McCulley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Katharine McCulley, aged 40, who arrived in America, in 1907
- William McCulley, aged 34, who arrived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1915
- William T. McCulley, aged 32, who arrived in Lankerdal, California, in 1919
- Samuel McCulley, aged 40, who arrived in Dennison, Ohio, in 1919
- Annie McCulley, aged 19, who arrived in America from Ballymena, Ireland, in 1920
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
McCulley migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
McCulley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- John McCulley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
McCulley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- P. McCulley, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
- Rosy Ann McCulley, aged 21, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
McCulley Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
- Frank McCulley, aged 60, who arrived in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1920
- Madeline McCulley, aged 21, who arrived in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1920
Contemporary Notables of the name McCulley (post 1700) +
- Danielle McCulley (b. 1975), American former professional basketball player
- Pete McCulley (1931-1992), American head coach of the San Francisco 49ers
- Johnston McCulley (1883-1958), American author of hundreds of stories, fifty novels, numerous screenplays for film and television, and the creator of the character Zorro
- Michael James McCulley (b. 1943), American former NASA astronaut, and the first submariner in space and later President and CEO of Space Shuttle contractor United Space Alliance 3
- Robert Keith McCulley (1914-1993), Canadian professional ice hockey right winger
The McCulley 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: Vi et animo
Motto Translation: By strength and courage.
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Michael McCulley. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mcculley.html