| MacKinen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Scotland Etymology of MacKinenWhat does the name MacKinen mean? In the mountains of Scotland's west coast and on the Hebrides islands, the ancestors of the MacKinen family were born. Their name comes from the Gaelic personal name Findgaine. This is derived from the earlier forms Finghin and Finnguine. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac Fhionghuin or Mac Fhionnghain. MacKinen Coat of Arms CreationThe Mackinnons have a boar's head with a shin bone in its mouth, which was adopted as their crest in memory of the following legendary incident. Mackinnon of Strathaird in Skye and six men were out after deer, and when the hunt was over they went into a cave where they roasted some venison. While they were eating it, the mouth of the cave was darkened by a huge boar, evidently ready to attack them. His men retreated to the innermost recesses of the cave, but Mackinnon remained ready to face the boar. Just as it was in the act of charging, he thrust the shin bone down the animal's throat and choked it. Hence the crest. The motto is in Latin " Audentes fortuna juvat " (Fortune favours the daring). 1 Early Origins of the MacKinen familyThe surname MacKinen was first found in on the Isles of Mull and Skye, where they held a family seat from early times. This distinguished Scottish Clan descended from Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Scotland who died in the 9th century and were part of the Siol Alpin, a group of Clans descended from the King. They held lands in Mull, Skye and Iona, and were long time Abbots of Iona. They were connected with the MacDonalds and other Alpin Clans such as the MacNabs and the MacGregors. The Clan was present at the Battle of Inverlochy under the Montrose and being of royalist influence they supported King Charles at Worcester. Again in 1745 in Culloden they supported the Stuarts and the Chief was imprisoned in London in the Tower. Early History of the MacKinen familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacKinen research. Another 319 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1409, 1467, 1495, 1506, 1536, 1545, 1557, 1560, 1577, 1586, 1609, 1621, 1662, 1673, 1675, 1681, 1745, 1789, 1791, 1804, 1808, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1826, 1829, 1830, 1836, 1870 and 1884 are included under the topic Early MacKinen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. MacKinen Spelling VariationsIn various documents MacKinen has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. MacKinnon, MacKinning, MacInnon, MacKinnen, MacFingon and many more. Early Notables of the MacKinen familyDaniel MacKinnon (1791-1836), colonel and historian of the Coldstream guards, born in 1791, was son of William Mackinnon, chief of the Clan Mackinnon. William Alexander Mackinnon (1789-1870) was his elder brother, and Daniel Henry Mackinnon (1813-1884) was his first cousin.
On 16 June 1804 he was appointed ensign in the Coldstream guards, in which his uncle, Henry Mackinnon, author of 'A Journal of... Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacKinen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the MacKinen familyThe 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 MacKinen or a variant listed above include: John MacKinnon, who came to Nova Scotia in 1767; Allan MacKinnen, who settled in Prince Edward Island in 1772; Emily MacKinnon, who settled in Prince Edward Island in 1774.
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: Audentes fortuna juvat Motto Translation: Fortune favours the bold
- Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
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