|
Most sources indicate that the name originated with the Normans, a Scandinavian tribe which settled in northwestern France (Normandy) and then invaded Ireland in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Norman name from which our family name sprang was Walter, which was derived from the Norman "wald", meaning "rule", and "theri", meaning "army". Thus Walter was "ruler of the army." The Norman invaders were completely and thoroughly adsorbed by the mostly native population of Ireland and "Walter" evolved into the Gaelic given name "Wat", which was pronounced "wait." "Wat" in turn evolved into "MacUaid", son of Wat. The transition from "Wat" to "Uaid" is somewhat of a mystery, but the name as it is found in present-day Ireland and America is usually McQuaid, McQuade, and in some cases, just Quade or Quaid.
If one does much research on the McQuaid family, or any family, they will soon discover that there are many versions of the same name. One of the older forms was McQuoad, which is not found in recent history. In County Fermanagh, the name McQuaid was, in the early 1900s, interchangeable with the unusual name McAragh. During the American Colonial period, the name was often spelled McQuead, McQueed, or McQuede. An early Maryland record (1674) shows the name as Mackuaid. In some areas of Pennsylvania, McQuaid evolved into McQuate or McQuait. So, when researching the McQuaid family, one must keep an open mind, as to the spelling, or important elements of the family history will be missed.
References:
K Census of Ireland, 1659: McQuade is listed as a "Principall Irish Name" only in County Monaghan, in which there were 11 families with the name. The total population of Monaghan in 1659 was 4,083, of which 3,649 were recorded as "Irish" and 434 as "English."
K Appendix to the Twenty-Ninth Report of Register-General of Marriages, Births, and Deaths in Ireland: In a table, which is identified as a "list of the principal Ancient Celtic Families, with the Counties in which they were located" is the entry: MacQuade . . Monaghan. This list was compiled from sources dating as far back as the 1500s.
K Matheson, Special Report on Surnames in Ireland, 1894: This report is statistical in nature and shows surnames for births in the year 1890. For all of Ireland, the total for McQuaid and McQuade is given as 55; 4 in Leinster Province, 49 in Ulster Province, and 2 in Connacht Province. The McQuaid version was used primarily in Counties Monaghan and Fermanagh, while McQuade was the prevalent spelling in County Antrim.
K MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland, 1985: If you ever get to The Genealogical Office of the National Library of Ireland, located in Dublin, and you ask the staff genealogist for information on your family name, he will first look it up in MacLysaght's book. I've been there and done that. MacLysaght is considered the authority on Irish names. His entry for our family reads: "MacQuaid, -Quade MacUaid (son of Wat). A well-known name in Co. Monaghan and adjacent areas. Without the prefix Mac this name is found in Co. Limerick."
K Bell, The Surnames of Ulster, 1988: "Though found in Leinster and Connacht, MacQuaid or MacQuade is common only in Ulster. There the name is most common in counties Monaghan and Fermanagh, where it is usually spelt MacQuaid, and in Co. Antrim, where MacQuade is the prevalent spelling. The name was originally in Gaelic MacUaid, 'son of Wat', and was that of a sept of Monaghan centered at Ballyglassloch [now Glaslough]. The origins of this family are obscure, but they were associated with the church at Donagh. In 1970 the name was the forty-seventh most common in Co. Monaghan and was found throughout the country except the south."
|
|
