McDill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestors of the McDill family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from the personal name Dougal. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Dhughaill and literally means son of Dougal.
Early Origins of the McDill family
The surname McDill was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they were descended from Dugall eldest son of Somerled, first Lord of the Isles, and his son Duncan who received the lands of Lorn. The Clan was a bitter foe of Robert the Bruce, who made a narrow escape during one battle with the MacDougals only by discarding his cloak. The brooch of this cloak, now known as the Brooch of Lorn, is a treasured possession of the Chief of the Clan. The Clan faced heavy retaliation and was stripped of their lands once Robert the Bruce secured the Scottish throne. The lands were restored to the Clan upon the death of the king, but passed to the Stewarts in 1388 when the last member of the senior branch of MacDougals died without issue.
Early History of the McDill family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McDill research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1175, 1244 and 1316 are included under the topic Early McDill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McDill Spelling Variations
Historical recordings of the name McDill 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 MacDougall, MacDowall, MacDowell, MacDugald, MacDill and many more.
Early Notables of the McDill family
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McDill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McDill Ranking
In the United States, the name McDill is the 13,222nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Migration of the McDill family to Ireland
Some of the McDill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McDill 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 McDill or a variant listed above:
McDill Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Nathaniel McDill, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 2
- Thomas McDill, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 2
McDill Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- R. McDill, aged 47, who immigrated to the United States, in 1901
- Alice McDill, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
- Alexander McDill, aged 7, who landed in America, in 1912
- Jane A. McDill, aged 4, who immigrated to the United States, in 1912
- John H. McDill, aged 5, who immigrated to America, in 1912
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
McDill migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
McDill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- David McDill, aged 44, a shepherd, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "James Fernie" 3
Contemporary Notables of the name McDill (post 1700) +
- Rev Dr. David McDill D.D. (b. 1826), minister of the United Presbyterian Church, professor at both Monmouth College and Xenia Theological Seminary
- Alexander Stuart McDill (1822-1875), American politician, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
- Allen Gabriel McDill (b. 1971), American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher
- Robert Lee "Bob" McDill (b. 1944), American country music songwriter
- James Wilson McDill (1834-1894), American politician, U.S. Representative and Senator from Iowa
- Jeffrey Donald McDill (b. 1956), Canadian retired professional NHL ice hockey right winger
- McDill Boyd, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1972 4
The McDill 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: Buaidh no bàs
Motto Translation: Victory or death
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)
- South Australian Register Friday 17th November 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) James Fernie 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/jamesfernie1854.shtml
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html