Contents [hide]

Magill History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Magill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The name Magill was first used by the ancient Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The first Magill to use this name no doubt lived in Galloway. The Magill surname also comes from the Gaelic patronytmic name Mac an Ghoill, which means "son of the stranger."

Early Origins of the Magill family

The surname Magill was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Magill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Magill research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1231, 1579, 1582, 1595, 1734 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Magill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magill Spelling Variations

Scribes in Medieval Scotland spelled names by sound rather than any set of rules, so an enormous number of spelling variations exist in names of that era. Magill has been spelled MacGill, Magill, Makgill and others.

Early Notables of the Magill family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir James MacGill of Nether Rankeillour (died 1579), a Scottish politician, Lord Clerk Register to Mary, Queen of Scots; and his son, David MacGill or Makgill (died...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Magill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magill Ranking

In the United States, the name Magill is the 6,070^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Magill family to Ireland

Some of the Magill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magill migration to the United States +

The number of Strathclyde Clan families sailing for North America increased steadily as the persecution continued. In the colonies, they could find not only freedom from the iron hand of the English government, but land to settle on. The American War of Independence allowed many of these settlers to prove their independence, while some chose to go to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots played essential roles in the forging of both great nations. Among them:

Magill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Magill, aged 23, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 2
Daniel Magill, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 2
William Magill, who arrived in Norfolk, Va in 1817 2
John Magill, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 2
Joseph Magill, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1841 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Magill migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Magill Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Magill, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor" in 1834

Magill Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

H Magill, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Magill migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Magill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Magill, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Mr. James Magill, Canadian convict who was convicted in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for lfie, transported aboard the "Clara" on 28th January 1864, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 4

Magill migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Magill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Eliza Magill, (b. 1847), aged 21, British general servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 5
Mr. John Magill, (b. 1855), aged 19, Irish farm labourer, from Antrim travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Magill (post 1700) +

Alan Jon Magill (1953-2015), American medical researcher, Director of Malaria Programs at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Daniel Hamilton "Dan" Magill Jr. (1921-2014), American Sports Information Director, Head Tennis Coach, and Georgia Bulldog Club secretary for the University of Georgia
Juliette Augusta Magill (1806-1870), American historian and writer
Charles Magill (1759-1827), American lawyer, politician, and judge
Charles Michael "Mike" Magill (1920-2006), American racecar driver
Mrs. Ani Magill C.B.E., British Executive Headteacher for St. John the Baptist Catholic Comprehensive School in Woking was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 17th June 2017, for services to Education
Dr. Julia Rose Magill M.B.E., British recipient of the Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Education 6
Elizabeth Magill (b. 1959), Irish painter
Ronan Magill (b. 1954), British concert pianist and composer
Santiago Magill (b. 1977), Peruvian actor
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Magill family +

North Sea Flood

Helen Magill, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
John Arthur Magill, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

The Magill Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sine fine
Motto Translation: Without end.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clara
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists