The
Clan from whom the MacHatten family descends began among the ancient Dalriadan kingdom of the west coast of
Scotland. Their name comes from
a devotion to St. Catan, a saint of whom little is known but who was revered throughout the west coast of
Scotland between the islands of
Bute and
Skye. The Gaelic form of the name was
Mac Gille Chatain, which means
son of St. Catan's servant.Early Origins of the MacHatten family
The surname MacHatten was first found in the area of
Argyllshire on the Isle of
Bute, and literally translated means the "servant of St. Catan," the patron saint of Bute,
Skye,
Colonsay, Gigha. St. Catan was said to have lived at the Abbey of Inchaffray on the isle of Skye.
Early History of the MacHatten family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacHatten research.
Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1424, 1465, 1672, 1670 and 1685 are included under the topic Early MacHatten History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
MacHatten Spelling Variations
Historical recordings of the name MacHatten 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 McIlhatton, McElhatton, McElhatten, McGillecattan, McIlchattan, McHilhatton, Makelatyn, Macklehatton, McHatton and many more.
Early Notables of the MacHatten family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early MacHatten Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the MacHatten family to Ireland
Some of the MacHatten family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the MacHatten family to the New World and Oceana
Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American
War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through
Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: James McElhatten settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866; Arthur, Alexander, Cornelius, and John McIlhattan and McIlhatten settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1860 and 1866.