McAnsh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

On the Scottish west coast, the McAnsh family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the personal name Angus. The Gaelic form of the name, Mac Aonguis, translates as son of Angus. Angus refers to the Pictish King Onnust who died in the year 761.

While there are no direct links with this King in the history of the Clan or surname, there is a conjectural line, which may be adopted. The lands descended into the Barony of Innes in the County of Elginshire. However, the son or sons of Angus, originally from the Kingdom of Dalriada, were one of the three kindred houses, of the kingdom, the other two houses being the Gabran (the largest) and Lornetach which provided fighting men for the defense of the Kingdom of early Scots. For every twenty homes owned, they were obliged to provide two galleys, and so Angus, having 430 houses, provided a fleet of approximately forty galleys for the defense of the waters of Dalriada, generally those estuaries around the mouth of the Clyde.

Early Origins of the McAnsh family

The surname McAnsh was first found in Morven, their earliest known territory. In 1230, the Clan suffered from King Alexander II's campaign against Argyll. The Clan, however, retained their castle Kinlochaline, which stands upon strategic rock in Morvern. A massive castle by early standards, today it is in ruins.

Early History of the McAnsh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAnsh research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1358 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McAnsh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAnsh Spelling Variations

In various documents McAnsh has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. MacInnes, MacInnis, MacAngus and many more.

Early Notables of the McAnsh family

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

Migration of the McAnsh family to Ireland

Some of the McAnsh family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 71 words (5 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 McAnsh family

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: Duncan McInnes, who settled in Philadelphia in 1798; Thomas and Helen McInnes, who settled in Boston in 1849; John McInnis who settled in South Carolina in 1716.

The McAnsh Motto +

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: MacAonghais a-rithist
Motto Translation: Again MacInnes