This is a Galloway surname and an anglicized form of the Olde Scots Gaelic name Macuchtraigh. The Gaelic prefix 'mac' indicates 'son (of)', plus the personal name Uchtrach, from 'uchtach' meaning 'armour' or 'courage'. It is interesting to note that the first recording of the name occurs in Ulster, (see below). One John Macuchtrie witnessed a charter of office of a coronator at Lennox c. 1400. In Kirkcudbright Records, dated 1522, an anglicized form of the name Uthresoun appears. The English suffix 'so(u)n' replacing the Gaelic prefix 'mac'. Other forms of the name include M'Cuchtrie (Milburn 1685) and M'Ouchtrie (Flularg 1687). In the modern idiom the name is spelt MacAughtrie or Coughtrey (a curtailed form of the former). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roland MacUchtraigh, leader of the Gall-Gaidil. which was dated 1199 The Annals of Ulster. during the reign of William, The Lion of Scotland 1165-1214. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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