MCARTHUR
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Arthur, Mcarthur
McArthur is a Scottish surname of patronymic origin, derived from the Gaelic name Mac Artair, meaning "son of Arthur". The element Mac is the Gaelic word for "son of", so the surname directly translates to son of Arthur.
The personal name Arthur itself is rooted in the ancient Celtic word for “bear” or “rock”, suggesting an ancestor who was seen as strong and stable. Consequently, the surname may be interpreted as “son of the bear” or “son of the rock”.
The McArthur clan first appears in documentary record in about 1310, during the reign of King Robert the Bruce. The clan is thought to have been at its most powerful in the medieval period, holding extensive estates in Lorne, Argyllshire, and maintaining the hereditary keepership of Dunstaffnage Castle on behalf of the Scottish Crown. The clan’s seat was at the castle of Strachur, and its members served as the hereditary pipers to the MacDonald clan, the Lords of the Isles.
Following the death of chief John MacArthur, who was executed on the scaffold under King James I, the clan gradually lost influence and land holdings. The loss of royal favour and the suppression of the clan led to a decline in the prominence of the McArthur name in the Scottish political sphere, although members of the clan continued to hold respectable positions in the years that followed.
Early documentary witnesses of the surname include Tarleto McArthir, who signed a charter as a witness for the Earl of Ross in 1440, and Dougall M'Airthour, noted as sheriff of Argyll in 1595.
In more recent history the surname gained worldwide recognition through the military service of General Arthur MacArthur (1845–1912), who was the twelfth American to be appointed to the rank of General of the Army. His son, General Douglas MacArthur (1885–1952), attained five-star rank and played a decisive role in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War. Their military achievements have made the surname widely known beyond its Scottish origins.
The McArthur surname is common in the United Kingdom, particularly Scotland, but it is also widespread in countries that received large numbers of Scottish emigrants, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It can also be found in Northern Ireland, where Scots settled during the plantation period.
Because of Anglicisation and regional variation, the surname has many spellings, including MacArthur, MacArther, McArther, McCarthur, McArter, MacArter and MacArther. These forms arise from differences in dialect, clerical record keeping and the process of adapting Gaelic names into English orthography.
The enduring presence of the McArthur surname, both in its original Scottish milieu and across the globe, reflects the historical movements of the Gaelic people and the lasting legacy of their naming traditions.
Typical given names associated with the McArthur surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Jean
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McArthur in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 7,886 people named McArthur in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,193rd most common surname in Britain. Around 121 in a million people in Britain are named McArthur.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named McArthur
- James McArthur - Scottish football player
- Murray McArthur - Actor
- Liam McArthur - Politician
- John McArthur - Union Army general (1826 to 1906)
- Ken McArthur - South African long-distance runner (1881 to 1960)
- Andrew McArthur - Golfer
- Wally McArthur - Football player (1912 to 1980)
- Archibald J. McArthur - Canadian politician (1857 to 1911)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.