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The roots of the name McKercher are found among the Pictish clans of ancient Scotland. The name comes from the Gaelic MacFhionnlaigh which means 'son of Finlay' or which is often Anglicized to fair hero.
The surname McKercher was first found in Stirlingshire, where traditionally this Clan is descended from Finlay Mor Farquharson, in turn descended from the ancient 11th century Thanes of Fife, through Shaw MacDuff, the first progenitor of the Farquharsons of the Braes of Mar. The descendants of Finlay Mor, a giant of a man, a man of daring and unequalled courage, settled in the lowlands with the name MacIanla, though, strangely, they had previously been called the Clan Eracher. It is claimed that the MacErachers of Perth also are descended from Finlay Mor. In the lowlands they became the Clan MacIanla. This was in turn anglicized to Finlayson, having many spellings, but approximately the same sound. The first Finlay married the heiress of the Garden, 'of that Ilk', and acquired those estates.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McKercher research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1450, 1455, 1478 and 1585 are included under the topic Early McKercher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. McKercher has been written Finlayson, Finleyson, Finlaison, Finlawson, Fynlawsone, Findlayson, Findleyson, Finlason, Findlaysoun, Finlaisone, Fynloson, McIanley, MacIanlay, MacKinlay, MacEracher, McEracher and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early McKercher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name McKercher:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: