English
The surname McBride can be of Scottish or Irish origin. The name in Gaelic is Mac Giolla Bhrighde, 'son of the devotee of St. Brigid'. St. Brigid was virgin abess of Kildare ( 450-525 A. D ) and is one of the patron saints of Ireland. Very few facts are known about her life. She founde a religous house for women at Kildare, and is said to be buried at Downpatrick, where St. Patrick and St. Columba were also buried. Many of the stories told about St. Brigid seem to be Christianized versions of pagan legends concerning a goddess. The name was originally the name of a ancient Celtic goddess, of uncertain origin; it is unlikely to be connected to the Gaelic 'brigh', strength, force, since this word has a long vowel. In Ireland the surname belongs mainly to County Donegal, where it is that of a prominent ecclesiastical family; in Ulster it is sometimes of Scottish origin. The name dates back to the thirteenth century were a Cristinus McBryd is recorded in historical archives. The name was brought to America by Scottish and Irish immigrants. One of the first fore fathers to bring this name to America is that of a Christian Bride, formerly of Kintyre, Angus, who came to America aboard the barque the Ulysses; he settled in Wilmington, North Carolina. This name is the four-hundredth and forty-third most numerous name in America.