Show ContentsMcCully History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

History reveals the roots of the McCully family name in the ancient Strathclyde people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The McCully name is derived from the Gaelic personal name Cullach, meaning boar.

Early Origins of the McCully family

The surname McCully was first found in Wigtownshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhaile na h-Uige), formerly a county in southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway where one of the first on record was Andrew MacCulloch who served King William the Lion of Scotland and received the lands of Myretoun (now Monreith near Whitehorn in Wigtown). However ancient records show the Clan as being mentioned in the year 743 in that area.

Early History of the McCully family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCully research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1354, 1470, 1640, 1697 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCully History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCully Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. McCully has been spelled MacCulloch, MacCullagh, MacCully, MacCullough, MacCulley, MacCullaugh, MacCullock, MacCullie, MacLulich and many more.

Early Notables of the McCully family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Godfrey McCulloch, 2nd Baronet of Mertoun (c.1640-1697), a Scottish politician executed for the murder of William Gordon who died from a shot in the leg, partly as a result of a long-standing feud. Following the execution, much of his family emigrated to America...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCully Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCully Ranking

In the United States, the name McCully is the 7,664th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the McCully family to Ireland

Some of the McCully family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


McCully migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

McCully Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John McCully, who arrived in New England in 1735 2
  • Matthew McCully, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 2
  • Joseph McCully, who landed in Frederick County, Maryland in 1799 2
McCully Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francis McCully, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 2
  • William McCully, who arrived in America in 1805 2
  • Robert McCully, who landed in America in 1805 2
  • Jonas McCully, who arrived in South Carolina in 1806 2
  • Andrew McCully, who landed in South Carolina in 1809 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCully migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCully Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael McCully, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
  • Ann McCully, aged 16, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
  • Mary Ann McCully, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
  • James McCully, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
  • Ellinor McCully, aged 17, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCully 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:

McCully Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Edward Mccully, (b. 1833), aged 28, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 3
  • Mr. John McCully, (b. 1853), aged 21, Irish farm labourer, from Antrim travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 3

Contemporary Notables of the name McCully (post 1700) +

  • Vice Admiral Alexander Newton McCully (1867-1951), American naval officer
  • Kilmer S. McCully, Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Services for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Henry McCully (b. 1948), Scottish-born, American Soccer player
  • Emily Arnold McCully (b. 1939), American children's author, recipient of the Caldecott Medal for "Mirette on the High Wire"
  • Edward "Ed" McCully (1927-1956), American Christian missionary to Ecuador
  • William McCully, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1932 4
  • Thomas McCully, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 2nd District, 1842-43 4
  • T. M. McCully, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Knox County Democratic Party, 1903 4
  • Phil McCully, American Republican politician, Chair of Marshall County Republican Party, 2002 4
  • Murray McCully (b. 1953), New Zealand politician, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for the Rugby World Cup
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The McCully 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: Vi et animo
Motto Translation: By strength and courage.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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