Mckittrick

The surname McKittrick is of Scottish origin and is believed to have originated in the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "citeir" meaning "citizen" or "town-dweller". The name likely referred to someone who lived in a town or village, as opposed to a rural area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Scottish parish records, such as the Old Parochial Registers of Ayrshire, where the name was spelled in various ways, including "McKitrik", "McKitrick", and "McKittrick". These records date back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

One of the earliest known references to the name is in the records of the Scottish Parliament in 1641, where a "John McKittrick" is mentioned as a burgess (citizen) of the town of Dumfries.

The name McKittrick is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Patrick McKittrick (c. 1615-1695), an Irish-born merchant and landowner who settled in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in the mid-17th century.

Another notable figure was John McKittrick (1745-1815), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who emigrated to the United States in the late 18th century and became one of the founders of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, Thomas McKittrick (1819-1891) was a prominent Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McKittrick Hotel in New York City, which later became the site of the famous Tin Pan Alley music publishing district.

More recently, the name has been associated with the Irish playwright and novelist Rory McKittrick (1958-2020), best known for his play "Broken Glass" and his novel "The Orphan's Tale".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in a place name is "McKittrick's Bridge" in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, which dates back to the late 17th century and was likely named after a local landowner or resident of that time.