McCaskey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Irish surnames are all based on the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name McCaskey is Mag Uidhir, which is derived from the word odhar, meaning dun-colored; in the genitive case, the word is uidhir.

Early Origins of the McCaskey family

The surname McCaskey was first found in County Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster.

Early History of the McCaskey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCaskey research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCaskey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCaskey Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the McCaskey family name include MacCosker, MacCusker, MacOsker, MacOscar and many more.

Early Notables of the McCaskey family

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

McCaskey migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name McCaskey to North America:

McCaskey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard McCaskey, who arrived in America in 1812 1

McCaskey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCaskey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary McCaskey, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor Gordon" in 1834
Biddy McCaskey, aged 40, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor Gordon" in 1834
John McCaskey, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor Gordon" in 1834
George McCaskey, aged 11, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor Gordon" in 1834
Eliza McCaskey, aged 9, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor Gordon" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCaskey 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:

McCaskey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Jonathan Mccaskey, (b. 1855), aged 20, Irish labourer from County Tyrone travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 2

Contemporary Notables of the name McCaskey (post 1700) +

Michael McCaskey (1943-2020), American sports executive, Chairman of the Chicago Bears in the National Football League from 1999 until 2011
John Gruard McCaskey (1874-1924), American oil businessman and philanthropist, "the Sauerkraut King"
John Piersol McCaskey (1837-1934), American politician, 23rd Mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1911
Evan McCaskey (d. 1989), American guitarist
George McCaskey, current chairman of the Chicago Bears
Virginia Halas McCaskey (b. 1923), American owner of the Chicago Bears

Citations +

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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html