McVay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Mac an Bheatha," and a bearer of Mac Beatha is mentioned in the Annals as taking part in the battle of Clontarf in 1014.

Early Origins of the McVay family

The surname McVay was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat from ancient times. Today the name is numerous in north-east Ulster but back in the 17th century it was mainly recorded in Antrim, Armagh and Donegal as McVagh, McVaugh and McEvagh. 1

Early History of the McVay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McVay research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1541 and 1798 are included under the topic Early McVay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McVay Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: McVeigh, McVeagh, McVey, McVeigh, Mcvagh, MacVaugh, McEvagh and many more.

Early Notables of the McVay family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McVay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McVay Ranking

In the United States, the name McVay is the 3,856^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2

McVay migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McVay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael McVay, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 3
Charles, Daniel, James, Thomas, and William McVay, who, who settled in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
Francis McVay, who landed in America, in 1899

McVay Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Gertrud V. McVay, aged 25, who landed in America, in 1907
Annie McVay, aged 7, who landed in America from Hamilton, Scotland, in 1911
Catherine McVay, aged 3, who immigrated to America from Hamilton, Scotland, in 1911
Elizabeth McVay, aged 5, who landed in America from Hamilton, Scotland, in 1911
Albert McVay, aged 34, who settled in America from London, England, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McVay (post 1700) +

John Edward McVay (1931-2022), American football player, coach and executive, NFL Executive of the Year (1989), five-time Super Bowl champion
Kimo Wilder McVay (1927-2001), American musician turned talent manager of such names as Robin Luke, Don Ho, John Rowles, comic Andy Bumatai and many more
Charles B. McVay Jr. (1868-1949), American admiral in the United States Navy, father of Charles B. McVay III
Sean McVay (b. 1986), American football coach and former player, current offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins
Hugh McVay (1788-1851), American politician, 9th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama in 1837
Rear Admiral Charles Butler McVay III (1898-1968), Commanding Officer of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35), recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Shirley McVay, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1972 4
Nathan B. McVay, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1948 4
Hugh McVay (1788-1851), American politician, Member of Mississippi Territorial House of Representatives, 1811-17; Governor of Alabama, 1837 4
Gene McVay, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Governor of Arkansas, 1998 4
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The McVay 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: Per ardua
Motto Translation: Through adversity.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html