Show ContentsMcCusker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish surnames are all based on the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name McCusker 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 McCusker family

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

Early History of the McCusker family

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

McCusker Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname McCusker can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include MacCosker, MacCusker, MacOsker, MacOscar and many more.

Early Notables of the McCusker family

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

McCusker Ranking

In the United States, the name McCusker is the 9,104th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States McCusker migration to the United States +

Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the McCusker name:

McCusker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Terry McCusker, aged 22, who arrived in Louisiana in 1812 [2]
  • Terence McCusker, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 [2]
  • Owen McCusker, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 [2]
  • Thomas McCusker, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1877 [2]
  • Bridget McCusker, aged 58, who landed in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1893
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
McCusker Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Ellen McCusker, aged 16, who landed in America from Birkenhead, in 1904
  • Francis McCusker, aged 21, who landed in America from Fintona, Ireland, in 1909
  • Alice McCusker, aged 23, who settled in America from Tyrone, Ireland, in 1909
  • Agnes McCusker, aged 26, who landed in America from Moneymore, Ireland, in 1912
  • Cassie McCusker, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Fintona, Ireland, in 1912
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McCusker (post 1700) +

  • James Brian "Jim" McCusker (b. 1936), former professional American football defensive tackle
  • Michael McCusker, Academy Award-nominated American film editor
  • Aaron McCusker (b. 1978), Northern Irish actor
  • Damien McCusker (b. 1966), Irish Gaelic footballer
  • Niall McCusker (b. 1980), Irish Gaelic footballer
  • James Harold McCusker (1940-1990), Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist Party politician
  • Brigadier Emmet Andrew McCusker (1889-1973), Canadian Deputy Director Medical Services I Canadian Corps, Mediterranean - Italy [3]
  • Chris McCusker (b. 1959), Australian songwriter, musician and sound designer
  • Richard "Richie" McCusker (b. 1970), Scottish former professional footballer
  • Emmett Andrew McCusker (1889-1973), Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  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. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Emmet McCusker. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McCusker/Emmet_Andrew/Canada.html


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