The Scottish surname MacEwen derives from the Old Gaelic Mac Eoghainn, meaning 'the son of Eoghann'. The name is found today in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Because it was widely used before its spelling was standardised, the modern name has several common variations.
The earliest attested use is by a Malcolm MacEwen, who witnessed a charter in 1174.[1] The surname occurs in a number of prominent families throughout Scottish history. Although author R. S. T. MacEwen claimed that all these families, with variant spellings of the surname indicating possible differing origins, probably originated in Clan Ewen of Otter, the history is more complex.[2]
The name has varied heraldic traditions, reflecting the various origins. The first MacEwen armiger was granted arms in 1743, and his achievement reflects his family's origins in Clan MacDougall. However a second grant of arms in the name made in 1793 to William MacEwan of Glenboig, displays Cameron symbolism in both its crest and its central charge.[2]
Distribution of the surnames MacEwen and MacEwan from the 1881 UK census.
If one looks at the geographic distribution of the variants MacEwan and MacEwen in the 1881 UK census, it becomes apparent that the MacEwen variant mainly occurred in the extreme northeast in Kirkwall, and at a lesser density in the adjacent Inverness shire. By contrast MacEwan occurred almost exclusively in the southwest in Paisley (around Argyll). There is no overlap of the distributions, with neither name appearing in the intervening Perth shire. Variants such as McEwan and McEwen are mainly in Perth and more southerly regions of Scotland, perhaps suggesting that these forms arose as people moved in more recent times.
There are three versions of MacEwen tartan, the first of which is listed in Vestiarium Scoticum as Farquharson.[3]
As of 2019, there are several recognized lineages. One society of Clan MacEwen in Scotland has elected a Commander and has petitioned the Lord Lyon to have his arms and Chieftainship recognized; if successful, this would return this branch of the clan to full Clan society status after about 500 years as an armigerous clan.[4][5]
^"Surname Database: McEwan Last Name Origin". The Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
^ abMacEwen, R. S. T. (1904). Clan Ewen: Some Records of its History. Glasgow: John Mackay.
^"The Scottish Register of Tartans: Tartan Details – Farquharson (Vestiarium Scoticum) or MacEwen/MacEwan".
^Ross, David (4 May 2014). "After 500 years the McEwens decide they need a clan chief". Heral Scotland. Sunday Herald. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^"What Is A MacEwen?". Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
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