Contents [hide]

McNabb History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

McNabb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of McNabb

What does the name McNabb mean?

The first family to use the name McNabb lived in the area that was once the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It is a name for a son of an abbot. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac an Aba. They are descended from the hereditary abbots of St. Fillan's near Loch Earn. Fillan was a royal prince of the royal house of Dalriada. In the reign of William, the Lyon of Scotland, the Abbots of Glendochart held a rank equivalent to the Earls of Atholl and Menteith. The Clan held the barony of Glendochart at the west end of Loch Tay.

Early Origins of the McNabb family

The surname McNabb was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they joined with the MacDougalls in opposing Robert the Bruce and consequently lost many of the vast territories they had held. However, the Chief of the MacNabs finally became reconciled to the Bruce, and regained many of his lost lands when King David II came to the throne of Scotland. He also received the official charter for the barony of Bowaine dated 1336. Finlay MacNab, the 4th Chief of the Clan, added considerably to the estates toward the end of the 15th century, but in 1552 another Finlay, the 6th Chief, fell into financial difficulties and mortgaged most of the Clan lands to the Campbell of Glenorchy. The Clan, however, refused to acknowledge the superiority of the Campbells

Early History of the McNabb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McNabb research. Another 403 words (29 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1651, 1660, 1745, 1770, 1780, 1798, 1816, 1820, 1854, 1856, 1860, 1862 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McNabb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McNabb Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of McNabb include MacNab, MacNabb, MacKnab, Mac an Aba (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the McNabb family

More information is included under the topic Early McNabb Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McNabb Ranking

In the United States, the name McNabb is the 3,020^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in New Zealand, the name McNabb is ranked the 972^nd most popular surname with an estimated 770 people with that name. 2

Migration of the McNabb family to Ireland

Some of the McNabb family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McNabb migration to the United States +

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The McNabb were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown:

McNabb Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas McNabb, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 3
Tibby McNabb, aged 20, who landed in North Carolina in 1775 3
John McNabb, aged 24, who landed in North Carolina in 1775 3
Tebby McNabb, aged 20, who landed in North Carolina in 1775 3

McNabb Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward McNabb, who landed in Mississippi in 1829 3
Jane McNabb, aged 35, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 3
Charles McNabb, aged 17, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 3
Sarah McNabb, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 3
William McNabb, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McNabb migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McNabb Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Dr. James McNabb U.E., (McNab) born in Virginia, USA who died in Machiche, Quebec c. 1780 member of McAlpines Corps, he had 4 children 4
Mr. John McNabb U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 4
Mr. John McNabb U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 4
Mr. James McNabb U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 4

McNabb Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Owen McNabb, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
Unity McNabb, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
John McNabb, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
Susan McNabb, aged 4, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
Mr. Hugh McNabb, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Euclid" departing from the port of Glasgow, Scotland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McNabb migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

McNabb Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Robert McNabb, aged 34, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Indus" in 1843
Ann McNabb, aged 31, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Indus" in 1843
Edward McNabb, aged 14, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Indus" in 1843
Ann McNabb, aged 12, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Indus" in 1843
Grace McNabb, aged 9, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Indus" in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McNabb (post 1700) +

Juan Conway McNabb (1925-2016), American bishop in the Catholic Church, 1st Bishop of the Diocese of Chulucanas in the Piura Region of Peru from 1988-2000
Sean McNabb (b. 1965), American actor, musician/bassist and singer, best known for his work with the 80s metal band Quiet Riot
Duncan J. McNabb (b. 1952), retired United States Air Force general, 9th Commander, U.S. Transportation Command (2008-2011), 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
Chester D. "Chet" McNabb (1920-1990), American professional basketball player who played for the Baltimore Bullets in two games during the 1947-48 season
Edgar J. McNabb (1865-1894), American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles in the 1893 season
Carl Mack "Skinny" McNabb (1917-2007), American Major League Baseball player who played one season for the Detroit Tigers in 1945
General Duncan J. McNabb, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command
Donovan McNabb (b. 1976), American NFL football quarterback
George B. McNabb Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alaska Territorial House of Representatives 4th District, 1955-58; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alaska Territory, 1956 6
Gardner McNabb, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1956 6
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McNabb family +

USS Indianapolis

Thomas Mcnabb Jr., American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 7

The McNabb Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Timor omnis abesto
Motto Translation: Let fear be far from all.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 46)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew