Kissock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of Kissock

What does the name Kissock mean?

The Kissock family history stretches back to the clans of the Dalriadan kingdom on the sea-swept Hebrides islands and mountainous western coast of Scotland. The name Kissock is derived from the personal name Isaac. The Gaelic forms of the name are Mac Isaac or Mac Iosaig, both of which mean son of Isaac. 1

Early Origins of the Kissock family

The surname Kissock was first found in Inverness, where one of the first records of the family was in 1476 when "the lands of Ardere in the barony of Clastray were resigned by Mariot, daughter of Molmoria M'Kesek." 1

Spelling variations for the family are quite varied: Mackessack, Mackissack, Mackissock, Mackissek, Makesaig (1592), Makkessake (1591), McKisack (1684) and many more.

In 1496, Donald Makessaig was recorded at Kilmun and he is probably the Donald McEsayg recorded in 1511. "John M'Intheir was convicted in 1623 for letting M'Keissik's 'bairnis the for hunger' in Breadalbane (BRT., p. 379 -there was probably a famine). Marion MacKissock was resident in the parish of Boyne, 1684, Elspet M'Kissick in Relliclone, parish of Madertie, 1658 (Dunkeld)." 1

Early History of the Kissock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kissock research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1685 and 1871 are included under the topic Early Kissock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kissock Spelling Variations

Medieval translation of Gaelic names could not be referred to as an accurate process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and names in documents from that era are riddled with spelling variations. Kissock has been written as MacIsaac, MacIsaack, Kissock and others.

Early Notables of the Kissock family

More information is included under the topic Early Kissock Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kissock migration to the United States +

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Kissock or a variant listed above include:

Kissock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Kissock, who arrived in New York in 1803 2
Henry Kissock, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 2
William Kissock, who arrived in New York in 1839 2
Hugh Kissock, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2
Helen Kissock, who landed in America in 1855 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kissock (post 1700) +

Polly Kissock, American actress, known for Bad Girls (1999)
Emily Kissock, American actress, known for her work on MacGuffin (2012), Smiley (2010) and The Darksiders 2 (2014)
J. Kelly Kissock, American Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Dayton
Katrina Kissock, Australian professor and researcher at the University of Wollongong
John Paul Kissock (b. 1989), English association footballer who last appeared as player-assistant manager at Whitehawk

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)