McDonald
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McDonald Genealogy
The Gaelic name Domhnall comprises domno meaning "world" and val "might" or "rule." The Donald clan traces its descent from their chief Domhnall mac Raghnaill who died around 1250. The prefix mac designates "son of" and describes Domhnall's son and subsequent followers. Recent DNA testing suggests that this clan has Norse roots.
The proper spelling has been MacDonald. But the most common usage outside Scotland is McDonald.
Scotland. The MacDonalds were the Lords of the Isles in early Scottish history. Their base was the Western Isles, essentially their own independent fiefdom. They arrived in Skye from the southern Hebrides in the 15th century. Their home there at Armadale castle still stands.
Subsequent centuries saw different McDonald clans emerge in different parts of the Highlands; while inter-clan warfare and clan fighting continued. The 1640's Wars of the Three Kingdoms, for instance, was in large part a clan war between the MacDonalds and the Campbells, the MacDonalds allied with the English Royalists and the Campbells with the Scottish Covenanters.
However, the defeat at Culloden, where the MacDonalds - forming the left of the Jacobite line - had been routed by the English cavalry, marked the ending of their Highland way of life. The options for the fighting men were limited. The main alternatives were to join the army or to emigrate.
Etienne MacDonald, whose father had fought at Culloden, enlisted in the French army and became one of Napoleon's Marshals. Others chose the British army. Hector MacDonald, for example, joined the Gordon Highlanders in 1870. Very popular with the troops, this crofter's son rose through the ranks to become a general. However, his story ended sadly. Accused of homosexuality, he committed suicide.
No one quite knows where the children's song Old McDonald Had a Farm came from. The earliest written reference is in Tommy's Tunes, a collection of World War One songs.
Canada. For those who emigrated, Canada tended to be the preferred destination. The first arrivals were planned. In 1772, the MacDonald of Clan Ranald purchased 20,000 acres of land in Prince Edward Island, for settlement by 200 members of his clan. Those who came were known as the Glenaladale settlers.
The journey to Canada could be hazardous, as this 1826 MacDonald account reveals:
Another family account tells of Donald MacDonald from Skye who became a fugitive after knocking down a British officer in Saint John, New Brunswick. He found a job on a farm and later fell in love with one of his employer's daughters. Donald and Ann married, farmed at Canaan, and raised twelve children.
Many in the Maritime Provinces continued to adhere to their Catholic religion and to their traditional Highland way of life. As did those who arrived in Glengarry, Ontario.
However, other MacDonalds who came to Ontario integrated more readily into the Canada that was forming. There were many eminent MacDonalds at that time and some left a mark on early Canadian history, in politics, law, or in business. John MacDonald from Perth, for instance, arrived in Toronto in the 1820's and became one of the wealthiest merchants in the country. Hugh Macdonald came to Kingston in 1820. His son John A. rose to become he first Prime Minister of Canada. John's tenure of office spanned nineteen years and he was the dominating figure of Canadian Confederation which came in 1867. Archibald MacDonald, who arrived in 1854, made his name in the Canadian West. He started as a fur trader for the Hudson Bay Company and ended up as their last chief factor in active service.
America. There were some early McDonald arrivals in America. Bryan McDonald came from Ireland in 1689 and bought land from William Penn near New Castle in Delaware. John McDonald reached Virginia from Scotland in 1752. After the death of his wife in 1785, he joined the wagon train west and bought the old Daniel Boone farm on the Tennessee river. His family subsequently moved onto Ohio. By the 1840's, most McDonalds were in the northeast corridor of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Since then they have spread across the country, with the largest number now in Texas.
Two McDonald brothers Dick and Mac, sons of an Irish immigrant, made the name McDonald more famous than any clan exploit. They started a fast food hamburger restaurant in California which they franchised and devised its golden arches trademark. Although the chain was later acquired by Ray Kroc who attempted to re-write its history, these two brothers were the real founders of McDonalds.
Select McDonald Miscellany
Select McDonald Names
John MacDonald or John of Islay was the fourth and last Lord of the Isles. He died in 1503.
Flora MacDonald's fame came from helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the 1746 defeat at Culloden.
John A. Macdonald from Scotland was the first Prime Minister of Canada. His tenure of office spanned nineteen years and made him the dominating figure of Canadian Confederation.
Ramsay MacDonald, born of humble circumstances in Morayshire, rose through the ranks of the Parliamentary Labor party to become twice British Prime Minister, once in the 1920's and again in the 1930's.
Dick and Mac McDonald were the real founders of the McDonald's hamburger chain. In the late 1940's, they pioneered the principles of fast food at their McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California.
John D. MacDonald was a Florida-based crime and thriller writer, best known for his Travis McGee series.
Sir Trevor McDonald from Trinidad is the most well-known news presenter on British TV.
Select McDonalds Today
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
The Gaelic name Domhnall comprises domno meaning "world" and val "might" or "rule." The Donald clan traces its descent from their chief Domhnall mac Raghnaill who died around 1250. The prefix mac designates "son of" and describes Domhnall's son and subsequent followers. Recent DNA testing suggests that this clan has Norse roots.
The proper spelling has been MacDonald. But the most common usage outside Scotland is McDonald.
Select
McDonald Resources on
The
Internet
- The Clan Donald Center. Armadale castle on Skye.
- Clan Donald UK. UK Donald clan site.
- Clan Donald USA. US Donald clan site.
- My Macdonald Family Tree. Macdonalds in Inverness.
- Donald MacDonald Family History. MacDonalds from the Western Isles to Canada.
Scotland. The MacDonalds were the Lords of the Isles in early Scottish history. Their base was the Western Isles, essentially their own independent fiefdom. They arrived in Skye from the southern Hebrides in the 15th century. Their home there at Armadale castle still stands.
Subsequent centuries saw different McDonald clans emerge in different parts of the Highlands; while inter-clan warfare and clan fighting continued. The 1640's Wars of the Three Kingdoms, for instance, was in large part a clan war between the MacDonalds and the Campbells, the MacDonalds allied with the English Royalists and the Campbells with the Scottish Covenanters.
However, the defeat at Culloden, where the MacDonalds - forming the left of the Jacobite line - had been routed by the English cavalry, marked the ending of their Highland way of life. The options for the fighting men were limited. The main alternatives were to join the army or to emigrate.
Etienne MacDonald, whose father had fought at Culloden, enlisted in the French army and became one of Napoleon's Marshals. Others chose the British army. Hector MacDonald, for example, joined the Gordon Highlanders in 1870. Very popular with the troops, this crofter's son rose through the ranks to become a general. However, his story ended sadly. Accused of homosexuality, he committed suicide.
No one quite knows where the children's song Old McDonald Had a Farm came from. The earliest written reference is in Tommy's Tunes, a collection of World War One songs.
Canada. For those who emigrated, Canada tended to be the preferred destination. The first arrivals were planned. In 1772, the MacDonald of Clan Ranald purchased 20,000 acres of land in Prince Edward Island, for settlement by 200 members of his clan. Those who came were known as the Glenaladale settlers.
The journey to Canada could be hazardous, as this 1826 MacDonald account reveals:
"Of the emigrants on the Northumberland, only one of them
spoke the English tongue. They were also blissfully ignorant of
geography; enough for them to know that their destination was, as
promised by the captain, the island of Cape Breton. But on
arrival in New Brunswick the captain dumped his human freight ashore in
order to make room for a return cargo of timber. An Acadian
schooner happened along and these poor emigrants had just enough money
to charter this vessel to take them to Cape Breton."
Another family account tells of Donald MacDonald from Skye who became a fugitive after knocking down a British officer in Saint John, New Brunswick. He found a job on a farm and later fell in love with one of his employer's daughters. Donald and Ann married, farmed at Canaan, and raised twelve children.
Many in the Maritime Provinces continued to adhere to their Catholic religion and to their traditional Highland way of life. As did those who arrived in Glengarry, Ontario.
However, other MacDonalds who came to Ontario integrated more readily into the Canada that was forming. There were many eminent MacDonalds at that time and some left a mark on early Canadian history, in politics, law, or in business. John MacDonald from Perth, for instance, arrived in Toronto in the 1820's and became one of the wealthiest merchants in the country. Hugh Macdonald came to Kingston in 1820. His son John A. rose to become he first Prime Minister of Canada. John's tenure of office spanned nineteen years and he was the dominating figure of Canadian Confederation which came in 1867. Archibald MacDonald, who arrived in 1854, made his name in the Canadian West. He started as a fur trader for the Hudson Bay Company and ended up as their last chief factor in active service.
America. There were some early McDonald arrivals in America. Bryan McDonald came from Ireland in 1689 and bought land from William Penn near New Castle in Delaware. John McDonald reached Virginia from Scotland in 1752. After the death of his wife in 1785, he joined the wagon train west and bought the old Daniel Boone farm on the Tennessee river. His family subsequently moved onto Ohio. By the 1840's, most McDonalds were in the northeast corridor of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Since then they have spread across the country, with the largest number now in Texas.
Two McDonald brothers Dick and Mac, sons of an Irish immigrant, made the name McDonald more famous than any clan exploit. They started a fast food hamburger restaurant in California which they franchised and devised its golden arches trademark. Although the chain was later acquired by Ray Kroc who attempted to re-write its history, these two brothers were the real founders of McDonalds.
Select McDonald Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select McDonald Names
John MacDonald or John of Islay was the fourth and last Lord of the Isles. He died in 1503.
Flora MacDonald's fame came from helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the 1746 defeat at Culloden.
John A. Macdonald from Scotland was the first Prime Minister of Canada. His tenure of office spanned nineteen years and made him the dominating figure of Canadian Confederation.
Ramsay MacDonald, born of humble circumstances in Morayshire, rose through the ranks of the Parliamentary Labor party to become twice British Prime Minister, once in the 1920's and again in the 1930's.
Dick and Mac McDonald were the real founders of the McDonald's hamburger chain. In the late 1940's, they pioneered the principles of fast food at their McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California.
John D. MacDonald was a Florida-based crime and thriller writer, best known for his Travis McGee series.
Sir Trevor McDonald from Trinidad is the most well-known news presenter on British TV.
Select McDonalds Today
- 60,000 in the UK (most numerous in London)
- 56,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
- 88,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada)
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames