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Creagh History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Creagh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The surname is one of the many Irish surnames rooted in Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Creagh is Craobhach, derived from the word "craobh," which means "branch."

Early Origins of the Creagh family

The surname Creagh was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where this ancient Irish family was descended from King Niall of "the Nine Hostages," the great General King, who in turn was descended from the Heremon line of Irish Kings.

The Creaghs were one of the celebrated septs and leading gentry of the County Clare. They were a branch of the O'Neills of County Clare and tradition has it that they carried green branches with them into battle against the Norsemen at Limerick.

Their name is derived from the Irish surname Craobhach, which is the adjective formed from the noun "craob," a branch. Other names are derived from this source as well such as Cray, the anglicized form of O Craoibhe meaning "descendant of Craobhach."

Early History of the Creagh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Creagh research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1505, 1514, 1518, 1520, 1523, 1525, 1541, 1567, 1585, 1676, 1689, 1692, 1693, 1705, 1707, 1848 and 1923 are included under the topic Early Creagh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creagh Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Creagh family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Creagh, Crear, Creag, Creavagh, Cray and others.

Early Notables of the Creagh family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Richard Creagh (1525?-1585), born in Limerick, an Irish Catholic Archbishop of Armagh who died in the Tower of London. Called also Crvagh, Crewe, and in Irish O'Mulchreibe, he was born about 1525, bei...
His nephew Peter Creagh, was Bishop of Cork and Cloyne from 1676 to 1693. The following were High Sheriffs of Limerick City: Richard Fitz-Nicholas Creagh in 1500; Nicholas Creagh in 1505; Christopher...
Sir Michael Creagh was a seventeenth century Irish politician and soldier. He served as Lord Mayor of Dublin and was member of parliament for Dublin City in the Patriot Parliament in 1689
Peter Creagh (d. 1707), was a Catholic prelate, probably a relative of Sir Michael Creagh. On 4 May 1676 he was nominated by the propaganda to the united bishoprics of Cork and Cloyne, and on 9 March...

Creagh Ranking

In the United States, the name Creagh is the 18,747^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]

Creagh migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Creagh family in North America:

Creagh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bartholomew Creagh, who arrived in New York in 1836 [2]
Dr. Creagh, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 [2]
James Creagh, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 [2]
Carmelo Creagh who settled in Philadelphia in 1878 along with Richard and Thomas
Eduardo Creagh, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1885 [2]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Creagh Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ellie Creagh, aged 20, who landed in America from Limerick, in 1901
Ellie Creagh, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1906
Daniel Creagh, aged 21, who landed in America from Charleville, Ireland, in 1907
Catherine Creagh, aged 19, who landed in America from Rathdowney, Ireland, in 1908
Diana Creagh, aged 18, who settled in America from Kilmallock, Ireland, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Creagh migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Creagh Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Cecily Creagh, aged 25 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Minerva" departing from the port of Galway, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 [3]

Creagh migration to Australia +

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

Creagh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Glanville Creagh, (b. 1820), aged 28, Irish labourer who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for life for assault and attempted robbery, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda [4]

Creagh 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:

Creagh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 [5]
Mr. Michael C Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 [5]
Mr. Randolph Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 [5]
Mrs. Gertrude Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 [5]
Mr. Arthur Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 [5]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Creagh (post 1700) +

Ronald Creagh (1929-2023), French sociologist and anarchist best known for his books on American intentional communities
John Creagh (1870-1947), Irish Redemptorist priest
Andy Creagh (1953-2010), Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer
General Sir Garrett O'Moore Creagh VC GCB GCSI (1848-1923), known as Sir O'Moore Creagh, Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross
Gethin Creagh, New Zealand Academy Award nominated sound engineer, best known for his work on the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Frank William Creagh (1924-1998), New Zealand gold medalist boxer at the 1950 British Empire Games
Ben Creagh (b. 1985), former Australian professional rugby league footballer
John Patrick Brasier- Creagh (1930-2012), British poet and translator
Cornelius Vincent "Vince" Creagh (1876-1909), Australian auctioneer and politician, Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Croydon (1907-1908)
Major-General Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh KBE MC (1892-1970), British commander who served in both the First and Second World Wars, Commander of the 7th Armoured Division, the Desert Rats, between 1939 and 1941
... (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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 22)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bangalore
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html