Contents [hide]

McAdam History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

McAdam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name McAdam has a rich and ancient history. It is an Anglo-Saxon name that was originally derived from the given name Adam, which is itself derived from the Latin name Adamus which means earth.

Early Origins of the McAdam family

The surname McAdam was first found in many counties throughout England and Scotland.

"Six centuries ago Adam probably ranked as second or third favourite among boys' names throughout England. In the north it attained a most remarkable pre-eminence." 1

Another source notes the name is "rare in the eastern and northern counties. In the north, however, its place is sometimes taken by Adamson and Addison, as in the county of Durham. It is at present best represented in Buckinghamshire, Devon, Hampshire, and Staffordshire, and in the counties on the Welsh border, Shropshire and Monmouthshire. " 2

Shortly after the Conquest, forenames were still rare, but for popular names such as this an appellation was typically added denoting "from where they hailed" or in some cases, an occupation. By example, Adam of Barking (fl. 1217?), was a Benedictine monk belonging to the abbey of Sherborne in Dorset; Adam of Buckfield (fl. 1300?), was an English commentator on Aristotle; Adam the Carthusian (fl. 1340) was described as a Carthusian monk and a doctor of theology; Adam of Domerham (d. after 1291), was a monk of Glastonbury, a native of Domerham, a village in Wiltshire belonging to Glastonbury Abbey; Adam de Marisco (d. 1257?), was a learned Franciscan, is said to have been a native of Somerset; and Adam of Orlton (d. 1345), successively bishop of Hereford, Worcester, and Winchester. 3

As far as early rolls are concerned, England and Scotland had the lion's share of early entries.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had the following entries: John filius Adam, Oxfordshire; Hugh filius Adam, Oxfordshire; German Adam, Cambridgeshire; and Juliana Adams, Huntingdonshire. Further to the north and over one hundred years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Johannes Adamson; Johannes Adam; and Thomas Adamson. 1

In Scotland, "Adam sub-prior of Melrose became abbot of Cupar, 1189. Adam son of Adam was one of the witnesses to the charter by William Bruce to Adam of Carlyle of the lands of Kynemund, c. 1194-1214, and he also witnessed the resignation by Dunegal, son of Udard of a carucate of land in Warmanbie within the same period. Adam became abbot of Newbattle in 1201, and another Adam, a native of Lennox (Levenax), was a monk of great sanctity. " 4

Early History of the McAdam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAdam research. Another 186 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1281, 1327, 1329, 1460, 1585, 1586, 1626, 1651, 1654, 1655, 1656, 1658, 1661, 1662, 1667, 1685, 1689, 1695, 1697, 1698, 1712, 1719, 1720, 1748, 1760, 1789, 1808, 1829, 1890 and 1891 are included under the topic Early McAdam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAdam Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname McAdam include Adam, Adams, MacAdam, MacAdams, MacCaw and others.

Early Notables of the McAdam family

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was William Adams (1585-1661), London Haberdasher born in Newport, Shropshire, who founded Adams' Grammar School in 1656; Sir Thomas Adams, 1st Baronet (1586-1667), Lord Mayor of the City of London and a Member of Parliament for the City of London from 1654-1655 and...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McAdam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McAdam family to Ireland

Some of the McAdam family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 107 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAdam migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

McAdam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Archibald McAdam, who landed in New England in 1685 5
George McAdam, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 5

McAdam Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph McAdam, who landed in Virginia in 1769 5
William McAdam, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1774 5

McAdam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elizth McAdam, who landed in America in 1804 5
Elijah McAdam, who arrived in America in 1805 5
John McAdam, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1807 5
James G McAdam, who landed in New York in 1835 5
Peter McAdam, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McAdam migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McAdam Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James McAdam, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Dorcas Savage" from Belfast, Ireland
Mr. Joseph McAdam who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sobraon" departing 8th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th June 1847 but he died on board 6

McAdam migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McAdam Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss. Rose Ann Mcadam, (b. 1827), aged 23, Scottish house servant who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baretto Junior" on 5th April 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Sarah McAdam, aged 30, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" 8
David McAdam, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Constantine"
Henry McAdam (aged 31), a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Aurora"

McAdam migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

McAdam Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Mcadam, (b. 1835), aged 23, British shepherd travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 9
Mr. James Mcadam, (b. 1837), aged 21, British shepherd travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 9
Mr. James Mcadam, (b. 1838), aged 26, Scottish shepherd from Kirkcudbright travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 22nd October 1864 10
Mr. William Edward McAdam, (b. 1843), aged 31, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th July 1874 10
Mr. William McAdam, (b. 1848), aged 26, Scottish farm labourer from Berwickshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McAdam (post 1700) +

Heather McAdam (b. 1968), American Young Artist Award nominated actress and yoga instructor
Doug McAdam, American Professor of Sociology at Stanford University, elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003
Sean McAdam, American baseball writer for FoxSports.com, CSNNE.com, and the Boston Herald
William McAdam, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1880 (alternate), 1884 11
Lon J. McAdam, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Niagara County 1st District, 1934, 1935 11
James McAdam, American politician, Mayor of Cadillac, Michigan, 1887-88 11
James McAdam, American politician, U.S. Consul in Belfast, 1854 11
George H. McAdam, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 15th District, 1887 11
George G. McAdam, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Oneida County 2nd District, 1888-89 11
Clarence McAdam, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 11th District, 1902 11
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McAdam family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. William McAdam, British Greaser from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 12

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Michael Mcadam, English Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 13

SS Atlantic

Mr. John McAdam, Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 85)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baretto-junior
South Australian Register Monday 27th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Sir Edward Parry 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/siredwardparry1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/