The McCorkle name originated in Scotland, but the name has made many changes over the centuries. In the ninth Century A.D., the Scottish King, Kenneth the Great went to Ireland to assist Alpin, King of the Scots against the Picts. When Kenneth defeated the Picts and the Vikings, he did so with the help of a Danish Prince named Torquil (A.D. 734). Kenneth rewarded Torquil with a land grant near Oban, on Loch Awe, for accomplishing his hazardous mission. Torquil was a descendant of the Thorgisl, mentioned in the Viking Thorgisl Saga about 700 A.D. Torquil's father was named Thorquil (or Thorgesius in Latin) and his grandfather was Thorkill, son of Thurkill, son of Thurkell, son of Thorgisl. Torquil had a son named Mac Torquil, which in Gaelic, means son of Torquil. The land which Torquil received was in what is now County Argyle, Scotland, and the name Mac Torquil is still used in some locations in the Highlands.

Over the centuries, in Ireland and Scotland, the name gradually changed from Mac Torquil-dale to Mac Korkill-dale to McCorkindale, then to McCorquindall, McCorkundell, McCorquendill, McCorkell and finally to McCorkle.
There are many variations of the name, and by the 17th Century, Alexander McCorquodale or McCorkle, lived with his wife Elizabeth in Argyll, Scotland and had at least two sons, James and William, both of whom emigrated to America through Philadelphia about 1729-1730. James settled near the forks of the Brandywine River and William settled in Virginia Valley, Pennsylvania.

The oldest son, James McCorkle, married Jane Steele about 1720 and had several children before she died about 1729, and James later married Jane Alexander and had several more children, including John and Alexander. The family lived in Augusta, Virginia. Jane Alexander was the daughter of Joseph Alexander and Abigail McKnitt. John McCorkle was born about 1738, probably in Pennsylvania, and married Elizabeth Ruth in 1765 in Augusta, Virginia. Their oldest son, Joseph, was born in February, 1770 in Augusta, Virginia, and he married Hannah Scott in January, 1792 in Bourbon County, Kentucky, where the family had moved. Joseph and Hannah had a son named James McCorkle in 1799, and he grew up in Kentucky and married Ann Young in Fleming County, Kentucky in 1824. Ann was the daughter of James Young and Agnes Nancy Smith. James and Ann had at least seven children, including a daughter named Jane Brown McCorkle, and by the 1850's the family had moved to Rush County, Indiana. While there, Jane married a young farm hand named G. Washington Eagy on Valentines Day, 1855. Their daughter, Mary Jane, was born in November of that year, but complications from the birth caused the death of Jane shortly after in Washington County, Iowa, where the family had moved.

Among well known McCorkles in history, the Rev. Samuel E. McCorkle of Rowan County, North Carolina, was noted for his discourses on Deism and Revelation in the late 18th Century. John McCorkle was a famous scout who rode with Quantrill and his raiders after the Civil War in America, and wrote a book called "Three Years With Quantrill- A True Story Told by His Scout John McCorkle. David MCorkle was a Naval Commander in the Civil War for the Conferate States of America, and joined John Randolph Tuckerand Walter Raleigh Butt as officers of the Peruvian Navy in their war against Spain after the U.S. Civil War ended. Among modern well known McCorkles, probably the best know was Susannah McCorkle, who passed away in 2001. She was an acclaimed Jazz singer and author. George McCorkle was a founding member of the original Marshall Tucker Band and has recorded many bluegrass albums. Jill McCorkle is a well known author who lives in Massachusetts- she has written five novels including "Ferris Beach". General Fred McCorkle is the deputy commander of the Marine Corps for Aviation. James MCorkle is a noted poet and recipient of Fellowships form the Ingram Merrill Foundations and the N.E.A.