Show ContentsMcCutchan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

On the Scottish west coast, the McCutchan family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from Hugh or from the Old French word, Huchon.

Early Origins of the McCutchan family

The surname McCutchan was first found in Glasgow, where James Huchonsone held a land in 1454. "John Huchonson was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1466, George Huchunson, burgess of Glasgow in 1471 reappears as George Hucheson in following year. Thom Huchonson had a precept of remission for his share in burning Lochfergus, 1488, and Robert Huchonsone, 'sangster and master of the organis' in Aberdeen is referred to again in 1496 as Huchosone and Huchonsoun." 1

Further to the south in England, the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 proved to have a variety of early spellings like their Scottish ancestors, specifically Isota Huchonson and Willelmus Hugchonson. "The last two are placed together, no doubt brother and sister: Mathew Huchonson and Johannes Huchesson." 2

"In the 17th century the Hutchinsons held property around the city of Durham; at that time they were the most numerous and respectable of the yeomanry of the village of Bishop Middleham, but in the 18th century many of them migrated to Stockton and Whitton in the same county." 3

Early History of the McCutchan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCutchan research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1497, 1504, 1521, 1580, 1589, 1624, 1639, 1641, 1659, 1662, 1694, 1702, 1713, 1727, 1740, 1746 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCutchan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCutchan Spelling Variations

In various documents McCutchan has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Hutcheson, Hutchison, Huchison, MacCutcheon, MacHutcheon, MacCutchin, MacCutchan, MacCutchen, MacCutchon and many more.

Early Notables of the McCutchan family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was George Hutcheson (1580?-1639), of Lambhill, Lanarkshire, joint-founder with his younger brother Thomas [q.v.], of Hutcheson's Hospital, Glasgow, was the son of John Hutcheson, an old rentaller under the bishops of Glasgow in the lands of Gairdbraid. 4Thomas Hutcheson (1589-1641), was a joint-founder with his elder brother George [q.v.] of Hutcheson's Hospital, Glasgow, followed, like his brother, the profession of public writer, and was keeper of the register of sasines of the regality of Glasgow and district. 4The Rev. Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746), was an Irish philosopher from a family of Scottish Presbyterians...
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCutchan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McCutchan family to Ireland

Some of the McCutchan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


McCutchan migration to the United States +

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:

McCutchan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William McCutchan, aged 37, who arrived in New York in 1812 5

Contemporary Notables of the name McCutchan (post 1700) +

  • Arad McCutchan (1912-1993), American collegiate basketball coach, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981, eponym of Arad McCutchan Stadium, Evansville, Indiana
  • Eric McCutchan (d. 1991), leading Australian rules football administrator in the Victorian Football League inducted to the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996


The McCutchan 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: Memor esto
Motto Translation: Be mindful.


  1. 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)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. 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)


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