McDonald Family Crest framed artprint

The McDonald Family Crest framed and printed on museum-quality matte paper. Beautifully illustrated. Carefully researched. Uniquely personal.

A meaningful gift for family occasions—whether it’s a milestone birthday, a housewarming or a wedding, this piece is an instant heirloom.

The origin of the name McDonald

The surname McDonald is a patronymic name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from Mac Domhnaill, which translates directly to "son of Domhnall." The personal name Domhnall is composed of the ancient Celtic elements domun (meaning "world") and gal (meaning "valor" or "rule"), combining to mean "world-ruler." The ancestral lineage traces back to Somerled, a twelfth-century Norse-Gaelic warlord who ruled as King of the Isles until his death in 1164. His grandson, Donald (Domhnall), Lord of Islay (died c. 1250), became the eponymous founder from whom the hereditary clan surname was permanently adopted.

The symbolism of the McDonald coat of arms

The coat of arms displayed is a traditional quarterly configuration representing the historic territorial and lineage claims of the family. Each component is governed by standard medieval European heraldic rules:

Quarter 1 (Top-Left): A red lion rampant on a silver background (Argent, a lion rampant gules). This is an ancient Celtic symbol of sovereign authority, martial courage, and independent royal descent.

Quarter 2 (Top-Right): A hand emerging from a cloud holding a blue cross crosslet fitchy on a golden field (Or, a dexter hand couped fesswise issuing from a cloud holding a cross crosslet fitchy azure). This symbol represents Christian faith, divine protection, and the clan's historical role as protectors of the church.

Quarter 3 (Bottom-Left): A black single-masted galley with oars in action and sails furled on a gold field (Or, a lymphad oars in action and sails furled sable). Known heraldically as a lymphad, this represents the maritime power, galley fleets, and naval dominance of the Lords of the Isles.

Quarter 4 (Bottom-Right): A silver or natural-colored salmon swimming horizontally on a green field (Vert, a salmon naiant in fess proper). In traditional Gaelic iconography, the salmon is an emblem of wisdom, deep knowledge, and ancestral endurance.

The Motto: Per mare per terras, which translates directly from Latin to English as "By sea and by land."

Historical records of the McDonald Family Crest

This specific coat of arms is thoroughly documented across both Scottish and Irish historical state records:

Earliest Seals (14th Century): The individual symbols—specifically the lion rampant and the galley—first appeared on the physical wax seals utilized by the Lords of the Isles to execute legal charters. The official seal of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, from 1357, and the seal of Donald of Islay from 1400, provide the earliest documented evidence of these specific ancestral emblems.

The Formal Quarterly Arrangement (1672): The consolidation of these four distinct symbols into a unified quarterly shield was officially codified in Scotland when the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland (the Lyon Register) was established by an Act of the Scottish Parliament in 1672.

The 1620 Recording: The arms entered the Dublin Castle registries through the MacDonnells of Antrim—a major branch of the Scottish Clan Donald that settled permanently in northeast Ireland. When Sir Randal MacSorley MacDonnell was officially created the 1st Earl of Antrim in 1620, his noble lineage and this core quarterly heraldic framework (the lion, cross, lymphad, and salmon under the motto Per mare per terras) were formally verified and recorded in the permanent Ulster Office registers.

About the artist

Each coat of arms in the Family Crests Store is an artwork by heraldic artist Éamonn Breathnach. All are carefully researched, drawing from the earliest available records across multiple heraldic archives. Noted for their elegance and attention to detail, these artworks make meaningful gifts for family occasions.

Product details

• Printed with water-based inks.
• Ayous wood .75″ (1.9 cm) thick frame from renewable forests
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil (0.26 mm)
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Acrylite front protector
• Hanging hardware included

No Warehouses. No Waste. Just for you, made to order.

This product is printed especially for you when ordered, one at a time, by royal decree of Mother Nature to keep the realm beautiful. Family Crests Store guarantees your custom treasure meets all EU and USA safety standards.