McNicholl History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The roots of the McNicholl family name are in ancient Scotland with the Viking settlers. McNicholl was derived from from the personal name, Nicholas. McNicholl is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. The surname McNicholl arose out of the religious naming tradition. In Christian countries, the name Nicholas was popular, owing to the legends surrounding the 4th century Lycian bishop of that name. In Catholic countries in particular, this religious figure was revered. This accounts for its popularity as a surname in Scotland. The name Nicholas came from the Greek, Nikolaos, which means conqueror of the people. In Scotland, the earliest bearers of the surname McNicholl lived on the Isle of Skye, which is located on the western coast.

Early Origins of the McNicholl family

The surname McNicholl was first found in on the Isle of Skye, where the first on record was Ottar Snaekollson who was the Chief of the MacNichols and attended the Council of Chiefs, held by MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, at Finlaggan on the Island of Islay about 1240. One of the first records of the name in Scotland was Maucolum fiz Nicol, who rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296 and the Nicholsons of Skye have Englished their name from Macnicol. 1

Early History of the McNicholl family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McNicholl research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1263, 1500, 1607, 1645, 1655, 1694, 1698, 1705, 1713, 1718, 1720, 1725, 1727, 1728 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McNicholl History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McNicholl Spelling Variations

Sound and intuition were the main things that scribes in the Middle Ages relied on when spelling and translating names. Since those factors varied, so did the spelling of the names. Spelling variations of the name McNicholl include MacNichol, MacNicol, MacNicoll, Nicolson, Nicholson, MacNicholas, MacNickle, MacNickel, MacNickell, MacNiccol, MacNychole and many more.

Early Notables of the McNicholl family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was James Nicolson (d. 1607), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland & Bishop of Dunkeld; Thomas Joseph Nicolson (1645-1718), a Roman Catholic bishop, Vicar Apostolic of Scotland (1694-1718); William Nicolson (1655-1727)...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McNicholl Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McNicholl family to Ireland

Some of the McNicholl family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McNicholl migration to Australia +

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

McNicholl Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Bernard Mcnicholl Mr. settled in New South Wales, Australia in 1823 2

McNicholl 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:

McNicholl Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John McNicholl, aged 26, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name McNicholl (post 1700) +

Peter McNicholl, American actor, known for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), About a Boy (2002) and Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry (2000)
John McNicholl, Northern Irish country singer
Brian Frederick McNicholl OAM (b. 1951), New Zealand-born, Australian gold, two-time silver and bronze medalist Paralympic powerlifter, weightlifter and wheelchair basketballer
Dermot "Spoofer" McNicholl (b. 1965), Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Derry in the 1980s and 1990s, member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship
Johnny McNicholl (b. 1990), New Zealand rugby union footballer for Canterbury (2011-2016)

The McNicholl 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: Generositate
Motto Translation: By Generosity.

Citations +

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent