Recorded in several forms including McColm, McCom, McCome, McCom, McComish, McKome, and others, this interesting and unusual surname is Scottish and sometimes Irish. It is a developed form of the 12th century Gaelic name "Mac Thom", which translates as "son of Tom", the Mac denoting "son of", and is often found recorded in England as Thom. Thomas, and its diminutive form Thom, was a popular medieval given name of biblical origin, and was an Biblical or Aramaic byname meaning "twin". Borne by one of Christ's disciples, best known for his scepticism, it was introduced into Europe by returning Crusader knights in the medieval period. The surname development includes Roger M'Com of Kirkcudbright in 1679, and Robert McKome (1684, Carsfern). Amongst the recording examples from Scottish church registers are the marriages of Robert Mc Combe and Margaret Ross on December 28th 1711, at Dalkeith, Midlothian, and of Archibald McComish and Elizabeth Forrest on October 13th 1745, at Edinburgh. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilchrist Makcome. This was dated 1526, in the register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, during the reign of King James V of Scotland, 1513 - 1542. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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