McIntyre Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McIntyre last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McIntyre last name
Meaning of the McIntyre last name: son of the carpenter. McIntyre comes from the Gaelic Mac an t-Saoir, "son of the carpenter". Carpenters and wrights were valued in the Highlands, building houses, boats and ploughs. The family is linked with Glen Noe, beside Loch Etive in Argyll. A curious detail: Duncan Ban MacIntyre, an 18th-century Highland poet who could not read or write, is remembered for his songs about the hills and the deer.
Arms associated with the McIntyre name
A curious Scottish detail: heraldry there is still governed by its own court, and the arms tied to the McIntyre name follow its old rules.
Get your full McIntyre family history
This is only a glimpse of the McIntyre story. The full McIntyre history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted McIntyre coat of arms. Get the full McIntyre report.
McIntyre name FAQ
What does the McIntyre name mean?
Son of the carpenter. Common variants include MacIntyre, McEntire, Wright.
Where does the McIntyre surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in Canada, the United States and Northern Ireland.
Is there a McIntyre coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McIntyre coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.