This most interesting and unusual surname is of early medieval Scottish origin, and is an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic patronymic "MacC(h)orcadail or MacThorcadail. The Gaelic prefix "mac" denotes "son of", and the personal name "Corcadail, Torcadail" comes from the Old Norse "Thorketil", a compound of the elements "Thor", the name of the god of thunder in Scandinavian mythology, with "ketill", (sacrificial) cauldron. Pre 7th Century Anglo-Saxon and Norse baptismal names were usually distinctive compounds whose elements were often associated with the Gods of Fire, Water, and War. The given name Thorkill or Thorketil was in use throughout England in the Middle Ages; in Northern England it had been introduced directly by Scandinavian settlers, whereas in the South it was the result of Norman influence. The Anglo-Scandinavian form of the name "Thurcytel", with the contracted version "Thorkell", accounts for the entries, "Turketel, Turchil" and "Turkil" in the Domesday Book of 1086 for Norfolk and Suffolk. Medieval Parish Registers of Scotland mention a record of a charter to Ewen, son of Ewen Makcorquydill, lord of Maintelan in 1434. The surname development has included: Mikcorcadill (1495); Maccorquodill (1509), and Macroadill (1509). On March 13th 1853, Andrew, son of Dugald McCorkindale and Jenet McEwing, was christened in Campbeltown, Argyllshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ewen Mactorquedil, who was summoned to appear before the sheriff in Perth, which was dated 1430, in the "Early Records of Perthshire", during the reign of King James 1 of Scotland, 1406 - 1437. 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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