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McElwee History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

McElwee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish surname McElwee originally appeared in Gaelic as "Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe," which is probably derived from the word "fiodhbhadhach," referring to "a woodman."

Early Origins of the McElwee family

The surname McElwee was first found in Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman), founded by Vikings as Waesfjord, and located in Southeastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McElwee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McElwee research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1100 and 1563 are included under the topic Early McElwee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McElwee Spelling Variations

Just like the English language, the Gaelic language of Ireland was not standardized in the Middle Ages. Therefore, one's name was often recorded under several different spellings during the life of its bearer. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origins of the McElwee family name include McEvoy, Evoy, McGilloway, McVeagh, McVeigh, McAvoy, McElwee, McElwy and many more.

Early Notables of the McElwee family

More information is included under the topic Early McElwee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McElwee Ranking

In the United States, the name McElwee is the 15,413^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

McElwee migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the McElwee family came to North America quite early:

McElwee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William McElwee, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 2

McElwee Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Amie McElwee, aged 20, who settled in America from Donegal, in 1904
Bridget McElwee, aged 21, who landed in America from Donegal, Ireland, in 1908
Agnes McElwee, aged 21, who landed in America from Carrigart, Ireland, in 1909
Fanny McElwee, aged 20, who landed in America from Tamney, Ireland, in 1911
James McElwee, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, England, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McElwee migration to Australia +

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

McElwee Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Eliza McElwee, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
Sarah McElwee, aged 25, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"

McElwee 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:

McElwee Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James McElwee, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Bruce" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 12th September 1860 3

Contemporary Notables of the name McElwee (post 1700) +

W. H. McElwee, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1940
Samuel A. McElwee, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1884, 1888
June McElwee (b. 1888), American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Pocahontas County, 1937-53
Edward McElwee Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Westport, 1932
Dave McElwee, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Texas State Senate 9th District, 2012
Samuel McElwee (1857-1914), American slave from Madison County, Tennessee who was nominated by U.S. Senator Roderick R. Butler to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives, but lost
Leland Stanford McElwee (1894-1957), American Major League Baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1916 season
Ross McElwee (b. 1947), American documentary film maker and cinematographer, Harvard professor
Robert T. "Bob" McElwee (b. 1935), former American NFL football official
Robert "Rob" McElwee (b. 1961), BBC Weather's longest-serving weather forecaster
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html