Show ContentsMcGeachy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The root of the ancient Dalriadan-Scottish name McGeachy is /the personal names Eachan and Eochaidh. The Gaelic form of the name is usually Mac Eachainn, meaning son of Eachan. However, The surnames MacGeachie, MacGeachy, and MacKeachie are derived from the Irish surname Mag Eachaidh, an Ulster variant of Mag Eochadha, which means son of Eochaidh. [1]

Early Origins of the McGeachy family

The surname McGeachy was first found in Knoydart, where they were a sept of the MacDonalds, descended from Hector (Gaelic Eachann,) second son of Roderick MacDonald, 3rd of Moydart and Clanranald. [2]

Early History of the McGeachy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGeachy research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1686, 1694, 1711, 1715, 1745 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McGeachy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGeachy Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name McGeachy include many spelling variations. They include They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. McEachan, McGeachan, McKechnie, McGeachie and many more.

Early Notables of the McGeachy family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGeachy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the McGeachy family to Ireland

Some of the McGeachy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Canada McGeachy migration to Canada +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name McGeachy, or a variant listed above:

McGeachy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John McGeachy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Contemporary Notables of the name McGeachy (post 1700) +

  • Neill Roderick McGeachy Jr. (1942-2018), American basketball coach and administrator from Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Forster Alleyne McGeachy (1809-1887), British politician, Conservative Member of Parliament, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1865


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)


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