McCreight History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

McCreight was first used as a surname among the descendants of the ancient Scottish people known as the Picts. It was a name for a prosperous person. The Gaelic form of the surname McCreight is Mac Rath, which literally means son of grace or son of prosperity.

Early Origins of the McCreight family

The surname McCreight was first found in Inverness-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) divided between the present day Scottish Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles, and consisting of a large northern mainland area and various island areas off the west coast, the shire was anciently both a Pictish and Norwegian stronghold, but their ancient history is often clouded with conjecture. It appears certain that they lived before the 14th century at Clunes, to the west of Inverness in the territories of the Fraser Clan. Consequently the family has always been friendly towards that Clan. From about 1400, they moved to the location with which they are readily associated, Kintail.

Early History of the McCreight family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCreight research. Another 548 words (39 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1425, 1477, 1505, 1539, 1688, 1715, 1745, 1764, 1778 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCreight History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCreight Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. McCreight has been spelled MacCrae, MacCraith, MacCrath, MacCraw, MacCray, MacCrea, MacCree, MacCreight, MacCrie, MacReagh, MacRae, MacRay, MacRie and many more.

Early Notables of the McCreight family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Finghin MacCarthy Reagh (c.1425-1505), the 8th Prince of Carbery from 1477 to 1505, belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty; the Earl of Seaforth who forfeited his lands in 1715, but in 1764 was allowed to buy the lands back from the Government. In gratitude he offered to raise a regiment to be known as the Seaforth Highlanders (the 78th Regiment). Composed largely of MacKenzies and MacRaes (always loyal supporters of the MacKenzies whose Chief commanded the Regiment), it was embodied at Elgin in May 1778...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCreight Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCreight Ranking

In the United States, the name McCreight is the 15,745^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the McCreight family to Ireland

Some of the McCreight family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCreight migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name McCreight:

McCreight Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

David McCreight, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 2
James McCreight, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 2
William McCreight, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 2

McCreight Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Adam McCreight, aged 23, who settled in America from Antrim, in 1901
Elizabeth McCreight, aged 10, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, in 1903
Mary McCreight, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, in 1903
Lizzie McCreight, aged 61, who immigrated to America, in 1907
Celia McCreight, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McCreight (post 1700) +

Edward Meyers McCreight, American computer scientist, co-inventor of the B-tree, a tree data structure
Tim McCreight (b. 1951), American artist and author who specializes in metalsmithing
T. J. McCreight, American football executive and former NFL player
John Foster McCreight QC (1827-1913), Irish-born, Canadian jurist, the first Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia

The McCreight 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: Fortitudine
Motto Translation: With fortitude.

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)