McClure Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McClure last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McClure last name
Meaning of the McClure last name: son of the sallow lad. McClure is a Scottish surname from Gaelic Mac Gille Uidhir, often explained as "son of the pale or sallow lad". It is an old last name of Galloway and Carrick, and many families moved on to Ulster and America. A curious detail: William Maclure, born in Ayr, is often called the father of American geology for his early map of the United States.
Arms associated with the McClure name
In Scotland a coat of arms is strictly personal and still overseen by the Court of the Lord Lyon, so each blazon associated with the McClure name belongs to one bearer at a time.
Get your full McClure family history
This is only a glimpse of the McClure story. The full McClure 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 McClure coat of arms. Get the full McClure report.
McClure name FAQ
What does the McClure name mean?
Son of the sallow lad. Common variants include MacLure, McLure, McCleur.
Where does the McClure surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Northern Ireland and Canada.
Is there a McClure coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McClure 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).