Contents [hide]

McCloud History Etymology Coat of Arms Creation Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

McCloud History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of McCloud

What does the name McCloud mean?

The McCloud family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name McCloud is derived from the personal name Leod. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac Leoid, which means son of Leod, son of Olaf the Black, King of Man and the Northern Isles. Olaf was from a dynasty of Norse Kings, who, for centuries held the Isles. They were in turn descended from King Halfdan the Stingy, a King who was reputed to be descended from the god Frey. Leod held the island of Lewis, the mainland Glenelg and part of Skye in about 1195 AD. It was his two sons who founded the two great branches of the Siol Tormod and the Siol Torquil.

McCloud Coat of Arms Creation

The crest and motto of the Macleods are a bull's head and "Hold Fast." Of it the clan may well be proud, as it commemorates a brave deed by an ancestor at the prompting of sympathy and mercy.

The story goes that one of the Dunvegan chiefs went to pay a visit to Argyle at Inverary. He chanced to arrive on the day appointed for the execution of one of Argyle's clansmen, whom his chief had condemned to be gored to death by a bull. A sort of arena had been prepared, and Argyle with his guests occupied seats raised above the space in which the tragedy was to be enacted. The bull, bellowing with rage, was led in, and presently the man appeared. He was a fine looking fellow, and showed no signs of fear as he faced the animal. MacLeod implored Argyle to forgive the man. Argyle, with a cruel smile, said it was too late as the man was with the bull in the arena and nothing could save him. " If I save him," said MacLeod, " will you give him to me ?" He sprang to his feet as he spoke, flung aside his cloak, and prepared for prompt action. " Yes," said Argyle, " if you save him he is yours, but you go to your death." Without another word MacLeod sprang into the arena, rushed for the bull and seized one of its horns by the left hand, and as he did so a cry rang out, " Vold fast."

The next instant MacLeod struck a blow with his dirk which reached the beast's heart. The bull was killed and the man was saved. Even now there are Campbells living at Dunvegan who claim to be descended from the man. whom MacLeod saved, and a horn at Dunvegan is said to be one of those of the bull which MacLeod killed. 1

Early Origins of the McCloud family

The surname McCloud was first found in on the Isle of Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas), where the Siol Tormod branch held the territories of Harris, Glenelg and Dunvegan Castle in Skye; while the Siol Torquil branch held Assynt and Cadboll, and the Island of Ramasay. There were no title deeds for these territories as they had been considered possessions of Norway. Yet when King Haakon asserted his authority over the lands in 1263 King Alexander resisted. Although the Scottish King Alexander signed the Treaty of Perth allowing payment of rent to Norway for all these lands, it was never paid and the whole of the western Isles became Scottish possessions.

Early History of the McCloud family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCloud research. Another 380 words (27 lines of text) covering the years 1314, 1597, 1613, 1715, 1745, 1777, 1901 and 1959 are included under the topic Early McCloud History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCloud 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 McCloud include MacLeod, MacCleod, MacCloud, MacLoud and many more.

Early Notables of the McCloud family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Sir Roderick MacLeod of Dunvegan Castle who led 600 of his Clansmen to Ireland to assist in O'Donnell's rebellion and Lord MacLeod's Highlanders (73rd Regiment - later the 71st Regiment)...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCloud Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCloud Ranking

In the United States, the name McCloud is the 2,001^st most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2

McCloud migration to the United States +

The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name McCloud arrived in North America very early:

McCloud Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Donald McCloud, who landed in New York, NY in 1738 3
William McCloud, who arrived in Virginia in 1756 3
Margaret McCloud, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 3

McCloud Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John B McCloud, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 3
Andrew McCloud, aged 22, who landed in America from Northumberland, in 1893
Elizth McCloud, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1893
C.C. McCloud, aged 63, who landed in America, in 1894
Chas. McCloud, aged 48, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895

McCloud Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ellen McCloud, aged 28, who immigrated to America from Donoughmore, in 1903
Catharine McCloud, aged 19, who settled in America from Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1910
Charles McCloud, aged 53, who landed in America, in 1911
Annie McCloud, who immigrated to the United States, in 1912
Alexander McCloud, aged 26, who immigrated to America from Maughold, Isle of Man, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCloud migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCloud Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ann McCloud, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mardough McCloud, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Robert McCloud, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

McCloud migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McCloud Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph McCloud, aged 32, British settler who arrived in Adelaide, South Australia aboard the "Hesperus" in 1883
Sarah McCloud, aged 33, British settler who arrived in Adelaide, South Australia aboard the "Hesperus" in 1883
Florence McCloud, aged 7, British settler who arrived in Adelaide, South Australia aboard the "Hesperus" in 1883
Ada McCloud, aged 5, British settler who arrived in Adelaide, South Australia aboard the "Hesperus" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name McCloud (post 1700) +

Zachary "Zach" McCloud (b. 1998), American football linebacker for the San Antonio Brahmas
Raymond "Ray-Ray" McCloud III (b. 1996), American professional NFL football wide receiver and return specialist for the Atlanta Falcons
Nick McCloud (b. 1998), American professional NFL football cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers
Jordan McCloud (b. 1999), American football quarterback for the Texas State Bobcats
Coyote McCloud (1942-2011), American popular radio disc jockey in Nashville, Tennessee for more than 30 years
Tyrus McCloud (b. 1974), American former NFL football player who was a linebacker
Ross McCloud (1819-1868), early settler of northern California, namesake of the town of McCloud, California
TJ McCloud (b. 1980), American indie and folk singer-songwriter and missionary
Lillie Arlene Nicole Jade McCloud (b. 1958), known by her former stage name Nicole McCloud, or Nicole J. McCloud, an American dance and R&B singer
Scott McCloud (b. 1960), born Scott McLeod, an American cartoonist, best known for his non-fiction books about comics, Understanding Comics (1993), Reinventing Comics (2000), and Making Comics (2006)
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The McCloud 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: Hold Fast

Sources +

Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)