Show ContentsMcGarey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The western coast of Scotland and the desolate Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the McGarey family. Their name is derived from the name Macara, which is the Gaelic word for son of the young, manly one.

Early Origins of the McGarey family

The surname McGarey was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the McGarey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGarey research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1690, 1745, 1815 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McGarey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGarey Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. McGarey has appeared in various documents spelled McAree, MacAree, McAra, MacAra, McArra, MacArra, McCarra, MacCarra, McCarry, MacCarry, McCarrie and many more.

Early Notables of the McGarey family

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

Ireland Migration of the McGarey family to Ireland

Some of the McGarey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 106 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McGarey migration to the United States +

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name McGarey or a variant listed above include:

McGarey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick McGarey, who arrived in America in 1856 [1]

Canada McGarey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGarey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James McGarey, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Cupid" in 1834

Australia McGarey migration to Australia +

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

McGarey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary McGarey who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name McGarey (post 1700) +

  • Francis D. McGarey, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 11th District, 1938; Justice of New York Supreme Court 2nd District, 1940 [3]


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 31st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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