McIlwain History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Early Origins of the McIlwain family

The surname McIlwain was first found in Dumfries where Thomas Makgilvane was a tenant under Douglas in the barony of Buittle in 1376. The name was derived from the Gaelic Mac Gille Bheathain, meaning 'son of the servant of S. Beathin' (Bean). There are many spelling variations of the name due to the English translation from Gaelic. John Mcilmeyne was a witness in Dumfries in 1477 and Gilbert Makilmeyn de Grummat was listed here in 1503. 1

Allan McYlveine de Grumet who appears as bailie of the Abbey of Crossraguel in 1523 is Alan Makilwene, juror on assize in the bailliary of Carrick in 1532. 1

Early History of the McIlwain family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McIlwain research. Another 236 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1526, 1546, 1547, 1566, 1569, 1570, 1574, 1627, 1628, 1674, 1764, 1790, 1797, 1814, 1818, 1831, 1843, 1853, 1871 and 1882 are included under the topic Early McIlwain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McIlwain Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacIlvean, MacIlvane, MacIlvenna, MacIlwain, MacIlwaine and many more.

Early Notables of the McIlwain family

More information is included under the topic Early McIlwain Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McIlwain Ranking

In the United States, the name McIlwain is the 7,662^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the McIlwain family to Ireland

Some of the McIlwain family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 191 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McIlwain migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McIlwain Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Maggie McIlwain, aged 22, who immigrated to America from Armagh, Ireland, in 1893
R. McIlwain, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1893
Samuel McIlwain, aged 18, who landed in America from Armagh, in 1898

McIlwain Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Chas. H. McIlwain, aged 36, who settled in America, in 1907
John McIlwain, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Lochgelly, Scotland, in 1908
Adam McIlwain, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Caven, Ireland, in 1909
Bridget McIlwain, aged 24, who landed in America from Donegal, Ireland, in 1912
Eliza McIlwain, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Milford, Ireland, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McIlwain (post 1700) +

Charles Howard "Mae" McIlwain (1871-1968), American historian and political scientist who won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1924
James McIlwain, American ophthalmologist, Sidney A. and Dorothea Doctors Fox Professor Emeritus at Brown University
Wallace Wesley "Wally" McIlwain (1903-1963), American professional football player and coach for the Racine Tornadoes in 1926
Stover William McIlwain (1939-1966), American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Chicago White Sox (1957-1958); he died in Buffalo, New York, from cancer at the age of 26
L. O. McIlwain, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of South Charleston, West Virginia, 1964-70 3
John B. McIlwain, American politician, Mayor of Port Huron, Michigan, 1924 3
James B. McIlwain, American politician, Mayor of Port Huron, Michigan, 1889-92 3
Harry McIlwain, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1964 3
Charlton McIlwain, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 2000 3
Alfie McIlwain, English actor who portrayed eleven-year-old James Potter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html