McCracken Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McCracken last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McCracken last name
Meaning of the McCracken last name: son of Reachtain, 'law'. McCracken is a Scottish surname from Gaelic Mac Reachtain, "son of Reachtain", a name meaning "law" or "legislator". The last name belongs to Galloway in south-west Scotland and moved to Ulster in the seventeenth century, from where many families went to Pennsylvania.
Arms associated with the McCracken name
In Scottish heraldry, coats of arms associated with the McCracken name are personal, each with its own blazon.
Get your full McCracken family history
This is only a glimpse of the McCracken story. The full McCracken 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 McCracken coat of arms. Get the full McCracken report.
McCracken name FAQ
What does the McCracken name mean?
son of Reachtain, 'law'. Common variants include MacCracken, McCrachen.
Where does the McCracken surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada, Australia and Northern Ireland.
Is there a McCracken coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McCracken coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).