Show ContentsMcTigue History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Early Origins of the McTigue family

The surname McTigue 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 McTigue family

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

McTigue 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 McTigue 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 McTigue family

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


United States McTigue migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name McTigue:

McTigue Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James, John, Michael and William McTigue, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1848 and 1860
  • Stephen McTigue, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1861 1
McTigue Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • John Mc Tigue, aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Magdalena" from Santos, Brazil 2
  • Michael McTigue, aged 32, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Mauretania" from Liverpool, England 2
  • Thomas McTigue, aged 19, originally from Kilmore, Ireland, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Aquitania" from Liverpool, England 2
  • Bridget McTigue, aged 22, originally from Castlebar, Ireland, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Celtic" from Liverpool, England 2

Contemporary Notables of the name McTigue (post 1700) +

  • William Patrick "Rebel" McTigue (1891-1920), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1911 to 1916
  • Thomas "Tom" McTigue (b. 1959), American actor and comedian, best known for playing Harvey Miller on the 1990s television series Baywatch
  • Thomas P. McTigue, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1948 3
  • Mike McTigue (1892-1966), Irish boxer, light heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1923 to 1925
  • Brian McTigue (1930-1981), nicknamed "The Wizard", an English rugby league footballer
  • Maurice Patrick McTigue QSO (b. 1940), New Zealand politician of the National Party, Minister of Employment & Associate Minister of Finance, Minister of Labour and Minister of Immigration, High Commissioner to Canada


The McTigue 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. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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