Origin of the Name Macpherson

      The name Macpherson -- or MacPherson or McPherson, according to the spelling preferred by individual families -- comes from the Gaelic Mac a' Phearsain and means literally 'Son of the Parson'. In the case of all families related to the Clan Macpherson of Badenoch and the Castlelands of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands the name refers to a specific individual who was their common ancestor. His own name and the precise nature of his office, however, are matters of controversy which will be discussed in later chapters of the Macpherson Story.

      Years ago the term 'parson' (in the Gaelic pearsain or pears-eaglais literally 'person of the church') had a different meaning than it has today. Before the Reformation in Highland Scotland, the religious leader of a parish was the priest (in the Gaelic an t-sagart). Then the parson was the steward of church property and responsible for the collection of the teinds or tithes. Thus, one would expect every parish to have had a parson but their progeny did not all adopt the name 'son of the parson.' Some did.

     The Macphersons of Badenoch are the largest and most enduring family of the name Macpherson. However, others of the name and its variations have been found in other parts of Highland Scotland and Ireland. Records show that there were other separate and distinct families of the name who resided among the Campbells of Argyll, with Clanranald in Ardnamurchan and Moidart, on the Isle of Skye and in Ireland. Although all had ecclesiastical associations originally the descendants of these families appear to have lost their early genealogy and now align themselves to the Badenoch clan. Today, Sir William Macpherson of Cluny is recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms as the Chief of all Macphersons and its associated families.

      The Clan Macpherson of Badenoch was also known among other Highlanders as the Clan Vurich (or in Gaelic, Clann Mhuirich), that is "The Children of Muireach", a name which is usually rendered as Muriach, Murdo, or Murdoch, and is sometimes given the English equivalent of Maurice. They were originally a part of the Old Clanchattan or Clann Ghillechatain, before it became a confederation in later years. This early connection is described in the next chapter of the story.