Contents [hide]

McAndrew History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

McAndrew History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The roots of the name McAndrew are found among the Pictish clans of ancient Scotland. The name comes from the baptismal name Andrew which in Greek means manly. The name was popular as both a personal name and a surname, likely because it was the name of Scotland's patron saint. In Gaelic the name is Aindrea and Anndra which again means manly.

Early Origins of the McAndrew family

The surname McAndrew was first found in Caithness (Gaelic: Gallaibh), the northern tip of Scotland, a Norse/Viking controlled region from the 9th century, which became the Earldom of Caithness.

This family was strongly associated with the Clan Ross. It was originally known as the Clan Siol Andrea, meaning the race of Andrew. However, from about the year 1100 the Andrews moved south to the Dumfriesshire area of southwest Scotland. Duncan Andrew, Chief of the Clan, rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. 1

Some of the family were found further south in England, specifically at Shotley in Northumberland where "Shotley Hall is said to have been built by Dr. Andrews, physician to the first royal Duke of Cumberland." 2

Sir Edmund Andros (1637-1714) was born in London and rose to become an English colonial administrator in North America. The 1689 Boston revolt was directly attributed to his actions in New England.

Early History of the McAndrew family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAndrew research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1395, 1463, 1510, 1537, 1600, 1604, 1637, 1649, 1650, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1666, 1672, 1674, 1714, 1890 and 1958 are included under the topic Early McAndrew History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAndrew Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. McAndrew has been written Andrew, Andrews, MacAndrew, Androw, Androe, Andro and many more.

Early Notables of the McAndrew family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Alexander Andrew, Sergeant of Aberdeen; Phineas Andrews (ca. 1600-1661), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1661; and Sir Thomas Andrewes (died 1659), English financier, supporter of the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War, Commissioner at the High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I, Lord Mayor of London (1649-1650.)Laurence Andrewe (fl. 1510-1537), was a French translator and printer, a native of Calais and Thomas Andrewe (fl. 1604)...
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McAndrew Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAndrew Ranking

In the United States, the name McAndrew is the 8,368^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the McAndrew family to Ireland

Some of the McAndrew family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAndrew migration to the United States +

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name McAndrew:

McAndrew Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick McAndrew, aged 20, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1854 4
Bridget McAndrew, aged 11, who landed in New York, NY in 1855 4
Mary McAndrew, aged 13, who landed in New York, NY in 1855 4
Martin McAndrew, who arrived in Alabama in 1858 4
Thomas McAndrew, who landed in Alabama in 1858 4

McAndrew migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McAndrew Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Alexander McAndrew, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1784

McAndrew Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. James McAndrew, aged 17 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Numa" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 5
Miss. Mary McAndrew, aged 6 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "James Moran" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 5
Mrs. Nancy McAndrew, aged 60 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Numa" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 5
Mr. Richard McAndrew, aged 5 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Numa" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 5
Mr. Thomas McAndrew, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "James Moran" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McAndrew migration to Australia +

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

McAndrew Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret McAndrew, (Morrison), Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl of Liverpool" in December 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Miss Mary McAndrew, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th November 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

McAndrew 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:

McAndrew Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James McAndrew, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863

Contemporary Notables of the name McAndrew (post 1700) +

James Clement "Jim" McAndrew (1944-2024), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Mets and San Diego Padres from 1968 to 1974
William McAndrew (1887-1943), American college football and basketball coach for the Southern Illinois Salukis
James Brian "Jamie" McAndrew (b. 1967), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1995 and 1997
Robert McAndrew, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Hudson County, 1895 8
Paul McAndrew, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 2004 8
John McAndrew, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Utah, 1912 8
Jane McAndrew, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 2000 8
James McAndrew, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Orange County 2nd District, 1944 8
Frank J. McAndrew, American politician, Mayor of Clarksburg, West Virginia, 1937 8
Anthony "Tony" McAndrew (b. 1956), Scottish former football defender
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McAndrew family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Thomas Patrick McAndrew (d. 1912), aged 38, English Fireman/Stoker from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 9

The McAndrew 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: Victrix fortuna sapientia
Motto Translation: Wisdom is the conqueror of fortune.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 42)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-of-liverpool
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html