Contents [hide]

McIntire History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

McIntire History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The first family to use the name McIntire lived in the area that was once the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It is a name for a carpenter or wright. The Gaelic form Mac an t-saoir means son of the carpenter. Most historians agree that their earliest habitations were on MacDonald territories on Kintyre. Most legends about their beginnings point to an origin in the Hebrides. From this point on, opinions differ. One legend has the Clan-an-t-Saor (Children of the Carpenter) arriving in Lorne in a galley with a white cow, another says that the galley, set adrift, developed a leak below the water line and the MacDonald Chieftain placed his thumb in the hole to keep the boat afloat. Spotting help at a distance, he cut off his thumb so that he could wave. He was ironically named the Carpenter or MacIntyre. Some claim that the family derived its name from a member of the MacDonalds who was called Cean-tire because of his ownership of lands on the peninsula of Kintyre.

Early Origins of the McIntire family

The surname McIntire was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where according legend, Maurice or Murdock, The Wright, (c.1150) became the first MacIntyre chief as a reward for helping his uncle, Somerled, King of Argyll and the Western Isles.

Early History of the McIntire family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McIntire research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1597, 1890, 1955 and 1991 are included under the topic Early McIntire History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McIntire Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of McIntire include MacIntyre, MacIntire, MacIntre and many more.

Early Notables of the McIntire family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McIntire Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McIntire Ranking

In the United States, the name McIntire is the 3,160^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Migration of the McIntire family to Ireland

Some of the McIntire family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McIntire migration to the United States +

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The McIntire were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown:

McIntire Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hugh McIntire, who settled in Virginia in 1716
Christian McIntire, who landed in New York in 1738 2
Angus McIntire, who arrived in New York in 1739 2
Nicolas McIntire, who arrived in New York, NY in 1739 2
Christian Munn McIntire, who landed in New York, NY in 1740 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McIntire Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alex McIntire, aged 29, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 2
Thomas McIntire, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 2
James McIntire, who arrived in America in 1806 2
Archibald McIntire, who arrived in America in 1807 2
George McIntire, who arrived in America in 1811 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McIntire migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McIntire Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Daniel McIntire U.E. who settled in Grimsby, Regional Municipality of Niagara, Ontario c. 1784 3
Mr. Duncan McIntire U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 3
Mr. Donald McIntire U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 3
Mr. John McIntire U.E., (McEntire) who settled in Canada c. 1784 3

McIntire Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Robert McIntire, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
Isabella McIntire, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
Mary McIntire, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
Catherine McIntire, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
Joseph McIntire, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Forth" in 1833
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McIntire migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McIntire Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John McIntire, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1848 4

McIntire 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:

McIntire Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Andrew Mcintire, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 5
Barnard McIntire, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Sarah McIntire, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Elizabeth A. McIntire, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Margaret McIntire, aged 3, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McIntire (post 1700) +

Rosalie McIntire (1986-2015), American actress, known for True Detective (2015)
Tim McIntire (1944-1986), American actor, known for A Boy and His Dog (1975) and Brubaker (1980)
John McIntire (1907-1991), American two-time Western Heritage Award winning actor, best known for his roles in Wagon Train (1959-1965) and in Psycho (1960)
Clifford Guy McIntire (1908-1974), American politician, Member of the US House of Representatives from Maine
John McIntire (1759-1815), American founder of the city of Zanesville, Ohio
Carl McIntire (1906-2002), American founder and minister in the Bible Presbyterian Church
John McIntire (1907-1991), American character actor, known for his starring role on Wagon Train as the second trail master
Barbara Joy McIntire (b. 1935), American amateur golfer, inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1964
James "Jim" McIntire, American gunfighter and Texas Ranger in the Old West of the United States in the late 1800s
William Watson McIntire (1850-1912), American politician, U.S. Representative from Maryland
... (Another 26 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The McIntire 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: Per ardua
Motto Translation: Through difficulties.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FORFARSHIRE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Forfarshire.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html