MCWHIRTER
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Whirter, Mcwhirter
McWhirter is a surname of Gaelic and Scottish provenance, the original form being Mac Chruiteir. The prefix Mac means “son of” in Gaelic and the element Cruiteir derives from a word meaning “harpist” or “harper.” Consequently, the name signifies a familial connection to a harper and is generally regarded as an occupational surname.
The occupational connotation is reinforced by historical records that associate the surname with individuals who performed music, particularly on the harp. The name is found among those described as court musicians and, according to some traditions, the McWhirters served as hereditary harpists to the chiefs of Clan Buchanan. This association underscores the possibility that bearers of the name occupied a specialised role in Scottish society.
Recorded variants of the surname include MacWhirter, McWhirter, MacChruiter, McChruiter, McQuarter, McQuirter, and Mewhirter. The earliest entries appear in Ireland in the year 1684, predating the first Scottish record which dates to 1749 when Andrew M'Whiter of Kirkhobble is mentioned. The surname also appears in early American documents, notably in New Jersey in 1734 with the birth of Alexander McWhorter in Newark, who later took part in the War of Independence.
Geographical sources link the name to the place called Whirter in Ayrshire on Scotland’s west coast. The etymology of “Whirter” is uncertain; it may refer to a topographical feature such as a bend or whirl, or alternatively to an occupation related to spinning. In either case the patronymic construction suggests that the original bearer was the son of someone from that locality.
In contemporary times, the surname remains most prevalent in Scotland, especially in the southwestern region of Ayrshire, though it is also common in English‑speaking countries such as the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, a distribution that reflects broader patterns of Scottish emigration. The surname has, in modern times, gained recognition through figures such as Norris McWhirter, co‑founder of the Guinness Book of Records.
Typical given names associated with the McWhirter surname
Male
- Alan
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Paul
- Robert
- William
Female
- Alison
- Ann
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jean
- Jennifer
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- 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 McWhirter in...
Braille
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Morse
---.-..--.......-.-..-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,336 people named McWhirter in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,882nd most common surname in Britain. Around 21 in a million people in Britain are named McWhirter.
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 McWhirter
- Ross McWhirter - Writer, political activist, television presenter (1925 to 1975)
- Norris McWhirter - Writer, political activist and television presenter (1925 to 2004)
- Norrie McWhirter - Scottish football player
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.