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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1999-12 > 0945837252


From: Mac McCutchan <>
Subject: Re: Ulster Surnames
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 23:34:12 -0500


Ken Wood asked about the names of McCord and Barnes, with specific
interest in what the Book of Ulster Surnames might say. Here's what it
says:

McCord: Variant of McCourt (also spelled McCord and McCoard). Although
also found elsewhere in Ireland, it is an Ulster surname, most common in
counties Antrim, Armagh and Monaghan. The name was originally an Oriel
sept, in Gaelic Mac Cuarta or MacCuairt, and was based in southwest
Armagh. In the 17th century Hearth Money Rolls it was spelled
MacQuorte. The most famous of the name was Seamus Mac Cuarta,
1647-1732, also known as James MacCourt or Courtney, Gaelic poet. The
English name Courtney has been recorded as an anglicization of the name,
especially in County Monaghan. The name is an old name, long associated
with the parish of Ballintrae in Ayrshire, Scotland, but their origin is
not known. Some of the Ulster McCourts may be of this connection.
Black's Surnames of Scotland is in agreement, adding that many were
found in and around Wigtown and Wigtownshire.

Barnes: No mention in Bell's "Book of Ulster Surnames", indicating that
it's not among the 500 most commonly occurring names in Ulster. Hanna's
"The Scotch-Irish says that in 1890 there were 26 children of that
surname born in all of Ireland, with 14 being in Ulster, mostly in
Antrim. Statistically, this suggests a population of about 1,150 of
that surname in Ireland in 1890, of whom roughly 625 were in Ulster.
Black's "Surnames of Scotland" says Barnes is a Scottish name,
originating in Barnes in the parish of Prenay in Aberdeenshire. Black
offers multiple examples of occurences of the name from 1465 through
1766, principally in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh, although
it also occurred as far south as Ayrshire. Ayrshire was the source of
many of the Scots who moved to Ulster as part of the Ulster plantation;
that might explain the presence in Ulster mentioned by Hanna's book.

Hope this helps -

Mac McCutchan

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