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Thanks to James
Pringle Weavers for the following information
MACADAM: Although the 'Mac' prefix might suggest a Highland origin few Macadams are found there for the name is more numerous in Galloway and Ayrshire where the principal family was said to be those of Waterhead. There was a tradition that these families descended from a Macgregor ancestor who had migrated there, but such descent is now denied, and their progenitor remains unidentified. John Loudoun MacAdam (1756 - 1836), pioneer of modern roads, was of this ancestry, and his monument must be the vast mileages of surfaced highways found throughout the world. Numerous variants of the name are found throughout the Highlands and it is those deviations which are principally associated with the various clans. The names are derived from the root 'Adam'(MacAdam = son of Adam) and, dependent on geographical location, numerous forms are found, giving rise to the multiplicity of clan associations claimed. In northern Perthshire, the Fergusons of Balmacruchie were locally called MacAdies, while in Fife, the name became MacKiddie or MacKeddie. Around Inverness it became MacKeggie and, by geographical association, was linked with the Mackintoshes of Clan Chattan. In the north-east 'Adam' was a popular name among the Gordons and many forms evolved until today, the House of Gordon claim more variants than any other 'clan'. On the island of Bute the name took the form MacCaw as early as the 16th century - by the 19th most had changed it to Caw or Mackay. These Mackays would have been adherents of the Stuarts of Bute and should not be confused with the Mackays of the far north. By sheer volume of the other forms it is impossible to list all variations and, if your computerised link is traced to this text, then you may be assured that you name is probably of such origin.
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