History reveals the roots of the MacCarrig family name in the ancient Strathclyde people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The MacCarrig name is derived from the personal name Craig. Thus, MacCarrig is a patronymic name, taken from the given name of the father or some other ancestor of the bearer. However, MacCarrig may also be of local origin, referring to those who lived in or near the place called Carrick in Ayrshire.
The surname MacCarrig was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, and were known as 'the men of Carrick'. Duncan de Carrick (died 1250) was made the Mormaer (Earl) of Carrick by Scottish King Alexander I in 1186. He was a direct ancestor Robert the Bruce (Robert I), King of the Scots 1274-1329.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacCarrig research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1224, 1296, 1370, 1380, 1370 and 1371 are included under the topic Early MacCarrig History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. MacCarrig has been spelled Carrick, Carick, Carich, Carrich, Karryck, Karrik, Karrick, Kerrich, Kerrick, Carrig, Carrigy, McCarrigy and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early MacCarrig Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the MacCarrig 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.
In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: Richard Carrick, who arrived in Virginia in 1650; Roger Carrick, who came to Virginia in 1672; Christian Carrick, a bonded passenger, who came to America in 1758.