MCCRINDLE
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Crindle, Mccrindle
McCrindle is a surname of Gaelic, Scottish origin, traditionally associated with the Highlands and the clans of that region.
The name is believed by several scholars to derive from the Gaelic Mac Crìonduil, meaning “son of Crìonduil.” The personal name Crìonduil itself is thought to be formed from crìon, meaning “withered” or “shrunk,” and duil, meaning “black” or “dark.” Other reputable sources link the surname to the phrase mac an righ, translating as “son of the King,” reflecting a possible ancestral claim to royal patronage.
In the early medieval period the surname appears as part of a sept of Clan MacFarlane. The McCrindles were noted for their steadfast loyalty to the Stuart dynasty and were consequently involved in the Jacobite uprisings of the 18th century. Court records identify individuals named John and Thomas McCrindle as participants in the failed rising of 1745, placing the family on the wrong side of the law at that time.
Records of the name date back to the mid‑1000s, with early entries in Edzell, Angus and Aberdeenshire. The fifteenth‑century charters of Gilbert MacCrundyll in Linlithgow and the marriage record of Alesoun MacCrundill in Machimure (1532) provide the earliest surviving documentation in Scotland. From the eighteenth century onward members of the family migrated to the United States, Australia and Canada, seeking new opportunities in the rapidly expanding British Empire. In the mid‑20th century, the surname spread further across Europe and the United States, though it remains most populous in Canada, followed by Scotland, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.
The spelling of the surname has varied considerably. Common forms include MacCrindle, McCrindell, M’Crindle and MakCrindel. In Ireland the base form Crindle is occasionally used, and in some American lineages the prefix “Mac” has been omitted, giving rise to McRindle, Mckrindle, Krindle, Kryndle, Ryndle and even Grindle. The diversity of forms shows how the name has been adapted through linguistic change and migration.
Demographic studies indicate that the frequency of McCrindle has fallen since the sixteenth century, making it a relatively uncommon surname within Scotland today. However, its presence across the Commonwealth and the United States reflects the broader diaspora of Scotsmen and the enduring legacy of Highland clan identities.
Typical given names associated with the McCrindle surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Graham
- Hugh
- Ian
- James
- John
- Peter
- Robert
- Scott
- Stephen
- Stuart
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Carol
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Janet
- Karen
- Kirsty
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sandra
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 McCrindle in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,014 people named McCrindle in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,303rd most common surname in Britain. Around 16 in a million people in Britain are named McCrindle.
Famous people named McCrindle
- Alex McCrindle - Actor (1911 to 1990)
- Robert McCrindle - Politician (1929 to 1998)
- J. W. McCrindle - Historian (1825 to 1913)
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.