McGilly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Gaelic is at the heart of all the Irish surnames that can be found throughout the world today. The original Gaelic form of the name McGilly is Mac Giolla Chuda, which perhaps denotes a devotee of St. Mochuda.

Early Origins of the McGilly family

The surname McGilly was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where The McGillycuddy of the Reeks (Irish: Mac Giolla Mochuda) was one of the hereditary chiefs of the name of Ireland.

Early History of the McGilly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGilly research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGilly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGilly Spelling Variations

Numerous spelling variations of the surname McGilly exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Gillycuddy, McGillycuddy, Gillecuddy, Gillacuddy, Gillicuddy, McGillicuddy, McGillecuddy, McGillacuddy, McGullucuddy, MacGillicudy, McGillicudy and many more.

Early Notables of the McGilly family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Colonel Denis McGillycuddy, Commander of the Irish Brigade in the French Army

McGilly migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name McGilly:

McGilly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas McGilly, who landed in America in 1805 1

McGilly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGilly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

P. McGilly who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died on Grosse Isle in 1847 2

The McGilly 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: Sursum Corda
Motto Translation: Hearts upwards.

Citations +

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. 44)