McGil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

McGil is an ancient Scottish name that was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for someone who lived in Galloway. The McGil surname also comes from the Gaelic patronytmic name Mac an Ghoill, which means "son of the stranger."

Early Origins of the McGil family

The surname McGil was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the McGil family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGil research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1231, 1579, 1582, 1595, 1734 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McGil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGil Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. McGil has been spelled MacGill, Magill, Makgill and others.

Early Notables of the McGil family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Alexander McGill (died 1734), was a Scottish mason and architect, who worked in partnership with fellow architect James Smith

Migration of the McGil family to Ireland

Some of the McGil family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McGil family

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: Patrick MacGill settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina with Richard, Samuel and William, in 1767; Andrew MacGill settled in Virginia in 1774.

The McGil 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: Sine fine
Motto Translation: Without end.