Show ContentsMcTague History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of McTague was Mac Taidh or Ó Taidhg.

Early Origins of the McTague family

The surname McTague was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McTague family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McTague research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1493, 1583, 1589, 1772 and 1810 are included under the topic Early McTague History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McTague Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name McTague were encountered in the archives: MacTeige, McTeige, MacTigue, McTigue, MacCaig, MacCaige, McCaig, McCaige, MacKaig, McKaig, MacKeague, McKeague, McKeage, MacTague and many more.

Early Notables of the McTague family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McTague Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McTague 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 McTague family came to North America quite early:

McTague Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Bernard, Charles, Edward, Hugh, Thomas, and William McTague, who all, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860
  • John McTague, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1860 1

Canada McTague migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McTague Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Patrick McTague, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834

Australia McTague migration to Australia +

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

McTague Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John McTague, British convict who was convicted in Chambly, Quebec, Canada for 10 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2

Contemporary Notables of the name McTague (post 1700) +

  • Tom McTague, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Montana, 1924 3
  • Tony McTague (b. 1946), Irish retired Gaelic footballer, Offaly Senior Football Captain in 1972, All-Ireland Senior Football winning captain in 1972
  • Mary-Ellen McTague, British award winning Manchester chef who runs two restaurants in the city; Aumbry and 4244


The McTague 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: Summum nec metuam diem nec optem
Motto Translation: May I neither dread nor desire the last day.


  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 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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