McCord (surname) McCord (surname) McCord (also rendered MacCourt, McCourt, McCoard, McCard, and MacCord) is a surname with origins having been found between Ayrshire, Scotland, but mostly in Airgíalla [circa 7th century AD] (modern day Irish counties of Louth, Tyrone, Armagh, and Monaghan. McCord/MacCord comes from Old Gaelic name "Mac Cuarta" or sometimes "Mac Cuairt", translating as "the son of Cuairt", a byname meaning "visitor" or "journeymen"or "son of Achilles" The town of Cappagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in gaelic translates to Ceapach Mhic Cuarta meaning "Mac Cuarta's tillage plot". It is very likely the name Mac Cuarta is a corruption of the
McKinley (surname) nickname given the deposed MacDunleavy dynasty royals while exiled in Tirconnell and elsewhere. Being, also, one of Ireland's ancient hereditary medical families, the MacDunleavy (variant English spelling MacDonlevy) were in Tirconnell accorded the high Gaelic status of "ollahm leighis" or the official physicians to the O'Donnell clan in County Donegal and practiced as physicians while exiled in Argyll, Scotland. The nickname was Mac an Leigh. Per this scenario the Gaelic language patronymic forming prefix "Mac" (meaning "descended of") is joined to the Gaelic language "Léigh" meaning leech, but denoting a physician. Leeching (medical) having been for millennia, in Gaelic Ireland