McWilliams Family Crest, Coat of Arms & McWilliams Name Origin

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Origin of the Name McWilliams

The McWilliams family history was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. The name McWilliams is usually of Scottish origin, they being a branch of the Scottish clan MacFarlane. This name is found in many ancient manuscripts in Scotland. Examples of such are a Henry MacWilliam who was Vicar of Logymar, recorded in 1521. Early records also relate to the 'MacWilliams of the Highlands', who were powerful Gaelic claimants for the Scottish throne, against King William the Lion. Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for the overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired lands by either force or as gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. In Ulster Province in Ireland the name is found in the Gaelic form as MacUilliam, and is also an occasional variant of the name MacQuillan, especially in County Down.