MCCORMICK
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Cormick, Mccormick
McCormick is a surname of Gaelic origin, associated primarily with the Irish and Scottish branches of the Celtic people. The name is a direct translation of the Old Irish patrilineal designation Mac Cormaig, meaning “son of Cormac.” The personal name Cormac itself is derived from the elements corb – traditionally interpreted as “raven” – and mac – “son of.” In some linguistic traditions the first element is read as *corb‑mac*, giving the sense “chariot lad” or “charioteer,” a reference to an early Celtic hereditary position. Thus, the surname indicates descent from an ancestor called Cormac, a leader or figure of possible martial or symbolic significance.
The earliest surviving record of the name is in the Scottish annalistic collection, where the witness Gilecrisst Mac Cormaic is dated 1134 in The Book of the Abbey of Deer. This date places the family in Scotland during the reign of King David I, between 1124 and 1154. According to historical accounts that surname was first recognised in Scotland in the mid‑tenthenth century, and the MacCormick family is identified as a branch of the ancient Buchanan lineage, specifically the MacCormick of MacLaine. The surname thus appears in official documents as far back as the twelfth century.
In Ireland, the name is widespread in all four provinces, with a particularly strong presence in the Fermanagh‑Longford area. The annals record the deaths of several notable MacCormacks of Fermanagh, the last of whom is reported to have died in 1431. The Annals of the Four Masters give further evidence of the family’s prominence in the region. By the early sixteenth century, members of the house were recorded as leading gentry in County Cork, where the surname remains relatively common to this day.
The name has been documented with several orthographic variants, including MacCormack, Cormick, and McCormack. In 1478 a Gilbert McCormok is mentioned in the Acts of the Lord of Council of Scotland, indicating continued prominence of the family into the late fifteenth century.
The impact of the Great Famine in the mid‑nineteenth century led to emigration of several McCormicks. A specific example is Jane McCormick, aged seventeen, who left Liverpool for New York aboard the vessel Sea‑of‑New‑York on 27 August 1846. Her departure is recorded in contemporary passenger lists, illustrating the diaspora of the name beyond the British Isles.
Throughout its history the McCormick surname has remained firmly associated with Christian society, reflecting the religious affiliation of the Irish and Scottish peoples. Today the name persists as a marker of Gaelic heritage and is borne by families across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the diaspora in North America and beyond.
Typical given names associated with the McCormick surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
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 McCormick in...
Braille
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname McCormick are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Jammy Dodger.
There are approximately 12,077 people named McCormick in the UK. That makes it the 751st most common surname in Britain. Around 185 in a million people in Britain are named McCormick.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named McCormick
- Malcolm James McCormick - American rapper (1992 to 2018)
- Maureen McCormick - Actress, singer
- Luke McCormick - Football player
- Neil McCormick - Music journalist
- Luke McCormick - Football player
- Donald McCormick - Journalist and historian (1911 to 1998)
- John McCormick - Scottish football player (1936 to 2017)
- Jim McCormick - Major League Baseball player, manager (1856 to 1918)
- Stan McCormick - Rugby league football player and coach (1923 to 2004)
- Steve McCormick - Football player
- John McCormick - American political scientist
- Edward McCormick - Cricketer (1862 to 1941)
- Robert John McCormick - Canadian politician (1848 to 1919)
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.