Contents [hide]

McGill History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

McGill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

This name is derived from either the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Gille," or the Irish Gaelic "Mac Giolla." In either case, the name was thought to be created from the occupation of being a servant.

Early Origins of the McGill family

The surname McGill 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 McGill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGill research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1231 and 1653 are included under the topic Early McGill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGill Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacGill, Magill, Makgill and others.

Early Notables of the McGill family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGill Ranking

In the United States, the name McGill is the 1,247^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 1 However, in New Zealand, the name McGill is ranked the 861^st most popular surname with an estimated 852 people with that name. 2

Migration of the McGill family to Ireland

Some of the McGill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGill migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGill Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Archibald McGill, who landed in North Carolina in 1740 3
Andrew McGill, aged 25, who landed in Virginia in 1774 3
James McGill, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1799 3

McGill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert McGill, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1802 3
Hugh McGill, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1804 3
Daniel McGill, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1804 3
Anthony McGill, who arrived in America in 1811 3
Samuel McGill, who landed in America in 1811 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGill migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGill Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John McGill U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784, then resettled in Niagara, he served in the Queens Rangers, he became a Freeman in 1785, died in 1834 4

McGill Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Peter McGill, who landed in Canada in 1821
Thomas McGill, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Cupid" in 1834
John McGill, aged 30, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Highlander" in 1834
Mr. Barney McGill, aged 20 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Columbia" departing 1st May 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but he died on board 5

McGill migration to Australia +

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

McGill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary McGill, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Mr. Joseph McGill, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Jane McGill, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Standard" 8
William McGill, aged 29, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Shackamaxon" 9
Janes McGill, aged 24, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"

McGill 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:

McGill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James McGill, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th October 1861 10
Mrs. McGill, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th October 1861 10
Mr. James McGill, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 10
Mrs. McGill, Scottish settler with 2 children travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 10
John McGill, aged 38, a farm servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1864 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McGill (post 1700) +

Ralph Waldo Emerson McGill (1898-1969), American journalist, Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper editor and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
James McGill (1744-1813), Scottish-born fur trader and philanthropist, endower and eponym of McGill University, Montreal, Canada in 1829
William James McGill (1922-1997), American psychologist, author and academic administrator
John McGill (1809-1872), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Richmond from 1850 until his death in 1872
David McGill, American Grammy Award-winning bassoonist
Bryant Harrison McGill (b. 1969), American editor and author from Mobile, Alabama
Bill "The Hill" McGill (b. 1939), retired American NBA and ABA basketball player
Andrew Ryan McGill (1840-1905), American politician, the tenth Governor of Minnesota (1887-1889)
Bruce Travis McGill (b. 1950), American actor, best known for his role as Jack Dalton on the television series MacGyver 12
Sergeant Troy A. McGill (1914-1944), American soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944
... (Another 42 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McGill family +

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Frances Eugene McGill, née Long, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 13

HMS Repulse

Mr. Robert H Mcgill, British Ordinary Signalman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 14

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Harry G. McGill, Irish born American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

The McGill 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: In Domino confido
Motto Translation: I trust in the Lord.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
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. 87)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STANDARD 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/standard1852.shtml
South Australian Register Thursday 20 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SHACKAMAXON 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/shackamaxon1853.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Bruce McGill. (Retrieved 2011, January 21) Bruce McGill. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_McGill
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html