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Irish surname

MacCrossan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac an Chrosáin · 'son of the rhymer' (Irish 'crosán')

Woulfe (1923) gives MacCrossan among the forms of Mac an Chrosáin, 'son of the rhymer'. He describes it as the name of a Tirconnell family, one of whom was Bishop of Raphoe in the 14th century, still numerous in Derry and Tyrone, and of a Leinster family who were bards to the O'Moores and O'Connors in Leix and Offaly. In 1890, Matheson recorded 14 birth entries in Ireland including spelling varieties (13 spelled McCrossan), 11 of them in Tyrone.

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Coat of arms associated with the MacCrossan surname
Irish formMac an Chrosáin
Meaning'son of the rhymer' (Irish 'crosán')
CountiesTyrone, Derry
Other spellings6
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MacCrossan crest gifts

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Origin of the MacCrossan name

Woulfe: the name (1) of a Tirconnell family, one of whom was Bishop of Raphoe in the 14th century, 'still numerous in Derry and Tyrone'; and (2) of a Leinster family, bards to the O'Moores and O'Connors, in Leix and Offaly, who took the English surname Crosbie.[1]

  1. 14th centuryWoulfe: one of the Tirconnell family was Bishop of Raphoe.[1]
  2. 16th centuryWoulfe: the Leinster family threw in its lot with the English and assumed the surname Crosbie.[1]
  3. 189014 birth entries in Ireland including spelling varieties (13 spelled McCrossan); 11 in Tyrone.[2]

Where in Ireland

Co. TyroneWoulfe: still numerous in Derry and Tyrone; Matheson 1890: 11 of 14 entries in Tyrone.[1][2]
Co. DerryWoulfe: the Tirconnell family are 'still numerous in Derry and Tyrone'.[1]

Other spellings

M'Acrossane · M'Ecrossan · Crossan · Crossin · Cross · McCrossan[1]

The MacCrossan coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the MacCrossan surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

MacCrossan surname: questions

What does the surname MacCrossan mean?

Woulfe gives it as Mac an Chrosáin, 'son of the rhymer' (Irish 'crosán').[1]

Where is the McCrossan name from?

Woulfe names two families: one of Tirconnell, still numerous in Derry and Tyrone, and one of Leinster who were bards to the O'Moores and O'Connors in Leix and Offaly.[1]

Is Crosbie the same name as MacCrossan?

Woulfe says the Leinster family of Mac an Chrosáin threw in its lot with the English in the 16th century and assumed the English surname Crosbie. He prints (Crosbie) in brackets in his list of forms.[1]

How many McCrossans were there in Ireland in 1890?

Matheson lists 14 birth entries in Ireland in 1890 including spelling varieties (13 spelled McCrossan), with 11 in Tyrone.[2]

Sources

  1. Mac an Chrosáin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maca/mac-an-chrosain.php
  2. McCrossan — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/mccrossan.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).