MacVay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Mac an Bheatha," and a bearer of Mac Beatha is mentioned in the Annals as taking part in the battle of Clontarf in 1014.
Early Origins of the MacVay family
The surname MacVay was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat from ancient times. Today the name is numerous in north-east Ulster but back in the 17th century it was mainly recorded in Antrim, Armagh and Donegal as McVagh, McVaugh and McEvagh. 1
Early History of the MacVay family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacVay research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1541 and 1798 are included under the topic Early MacVay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
MacVay Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: McVeigh, McVeagh, McVey, McVeigh, Mcvagh, MacVaugh, McEvagh and many more.
Early Notables of the MacVay family
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacVay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
MacVay migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
MacVay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- M MacVay, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 2
The MacVay 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: Per ardua
Motto Translation: Through adversity.
Citations +
- MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
- 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)