| ![Show Contents]() McElrea History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland The name McElrea has seen many modifications since the time in which it was first devised. In Gaelic it appeared as Mac Giolla Rua, which means son of the red-haired youth. Early Origins of the McElrea familyThe surname McElrea was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they were the Chiefs of Clonderlaw, conjecturally descended from Tiobraid, son of Iral Glunmhar, King of Ulster. 1 Early History of the McElrea familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McElrea research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1638 and 1640 are included under the topic Early McElrea History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McElrea Spelling VariationsMany different spelling variations of the surname McElrea exist in the archives researched. Ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Gilroy, Kilroy, MacGilroy, MacElroy, MacGreevy, Greevy, MacGilrea, McGilroy, McElroy, McGreevy, McGilrea, MacIlrea, McIlrea, Magilroy, Magilrea, MacElry, McElry, MacIlree and many more. Early Notables of the McElrea familyMore information is included under the topic Early McElrea Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 McElrea migration to the United States | + |
During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation, and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name McElrea:
McElrea Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- David McElrea, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 2
- James McElrea, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name McElrea (post 1700) | + |
- Andy McElrea, New Zealand-born, founder and CEO of McElrea Racing, Australia
- Anthony McElrea Snodgrass FBA (b. 1934), British academic and archaeologist noted for his work on Archaic Greece
- Anthony McElrea Snodgrass (b. 1934), British archaeologist
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
- 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)
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McElrea migration to the United States 
