Grattan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Grattan surname was Mag Reachtain in Irish Gaelic.
Early Origins of the Grattan family
The surname Grattan was first found in Tipperary (Irish: Thiobraid Árann), established in the 13th century in South-central Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very early times.
Early History of the Grattan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grattan research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1500 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Grattan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Grattan Spelling Variations
A name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name Grattan include Gratton, Grattan, MacGrattan and others.
Early Notables of the Grattan family
More information is included under the topic Early Grattan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Grattan migration to the United States +
Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Grattan to North America:
Grattan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- William Grattan, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 1
- Edward Grattan, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1862
Grattan migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Grattan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- John Grattan, English convict from Chester, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 2
- John Grattan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Spartan" in 1849 3
Grattan 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:
Grattan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Alexander Grattan, aged 33, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
- Rebecca Grattan, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
- Mary Grattan, aged 11, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
- Eliza Grattan, aged 8, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
- John Grattan, aged 7, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
Contemporary Notables of the name Grattan (post 1700) +
- Clinton Hartley Grattan (1902-1980), American economic analyst, historian, critic, and professor emeritus, from Wakefield, Massachusetts, one of the leading American authorities on 20th-century Australian history
- William J. Grattan (b. 1876), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Albany County 4th District, 1903-06; Member of New York State Senate 28th District, 1907-10 4
- John Grattan (1800-1871), Irish naturalist and anthropologist from Belfast
- Henry Grattan (1746-1820), Irish statesman and lawyer, baptised at St. John's Church, Fishamble Street, Dublin, on 3 July 1746, son of James Grattan, Recorder of the city of Dublin (1761-1766) 5
- Henry Grattan Jr. (1789-1859), Irish politician, Member of Parliament for Dublin City on behalf of the Whigs from 1826 to 1830 in the British House of Commons
- Thomas Colley Grattan (1792-1864), Irish author of ‘Highways and Byways,’ born in Dublin in 1792, was son of Colley Grattan of Clayton Lodge, co. Kildare, formerly a solicitor in Dublin, who afterwards retired to the country and devoted himself to agricultural pursuits 5
- Michelle Grattan AO FASSA (b. 1936), Australian journalist, the first woman to become editor of an Australian metropolitan daily newspaper, current chief political correspondent with The Conversation, Australia's largest independent news website.
- Jenna Grattan (b. 1987), Canadian former professional wrestler from Brockville, Ontario, better known by her ring name Portia Perez
- Harry Grattan (1867-1951), British stage actor, singer, dancer and writer, best known for his performances in musical comedies around 1900.
- Prof. Kenneth Thomas Victor Grattan O.B.E., FREng, British Royal Academy of Engineering for George Daniels Professor of Scientific Instrumentation and Dean for Graduate School at the City University of London, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Science 6
Historic Events for the Grattan family +
SS Atlantic
- Pat. Grattan, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
The Grattan 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: Pro patria vivere et mori
Motto Translation: For my country, I live and die
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)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SPARTAN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Spartan.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
- "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists