McElroy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name McElroy has seen many modifications since the time in which it was first devised. In Gaelic it appeared as Mac Giolla Rua, which means son of the red-haired youth.
Early Origins of the McElroy family
The surname McElroy was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they were the Chiefs of Clonderlaw, conjecturally descended from Tiobraid, son of Iral Glunmhar, King of Ulster. 1
Early History of the McElroy family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McElroy research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1638 and 1640 are included under the topic Early McElroy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McElroy Spelling Variations
In the Middle Ages, a name was often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer. Literacy was rare at that time and none of the languages to be found in the British Isles had achieved any great semblance of standardization. Variations of the name McElroy found include Gilroy, Kilroy, MacGilroy, MacElroy, MacGreevy, Greevy, MacGilrea, McGilroy, McElroy, McGreevy, McGilrea, MacIlrea, McIlrea, Magilroy, Magilrea, MacElry, McElry, MacIlree and many more.
Early Notables of the McElroy family
More information is included under the topic Early McElroy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McElroy Ranking
In the United States, the name McElroy is the 1,240th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 2
McElroy migration to the United States +
Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the late 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape such hunger and disease. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name McElroy:
McElroy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Alexander McElroy, who arrived in America in 1810 3
- Michael McElroy, aged 22, who arrived in Maine in 1812 3
- Peter McElroy, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1812 3
- Arch'd McElroy, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1817 3
- Bridget McElroy, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
McElroy migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
McElroy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. William McElroy U.E., (McEllery) who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 4
McElroy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Thomas McElroy, aged 35, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
- Ann McElroy, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
- Mary McElroy, aged 16, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
- Frank McElroy, aged 16, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
- John McElroy, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John & Mary" from Belfast, Ireland
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
McElroy migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
McElroy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Miss Martha Mcelroy, (b. 1786), aged 32, Irish convict who was convicted in County Down, Ireland for life for forgery, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
- Mr. James Mcelroy, (b. 1792), aged 46, Irish labourer who was convicted in Londonderry, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th May 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
- Anne McElroy, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Taymouth Castle" 7
- Alice McElroy, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nimroud"
- Margaret McElroy, aged 25, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nimroud"
McElroy 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:
McElroy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Charles McElroy, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1855
- Maria McElroy, aged 32, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1855
- Edward McElroy, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1855
- William McElroy, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1855
- Mary A. McElroy, aged 2, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1855
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name McElroy (post 1700) +
- Mary McElroy (1841-1917), née Arthur, the American sister of the 21st President of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, for whom she served as a hostess (acting as the first lady) for his administration (1881–1885)
- Charles Dwayne "Chuck" McElroy Sr. (b. 1967), American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from 1989 to 2001
- William B. McElroy (b. 1842), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives from Middlesex, 1910
- W. T. McElroy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1908
- Stephen McElroy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 2004
- Samuel McElroy Jr., American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Allegheny County, 1877-78
- Neil Hosler McElroy (1904-1972), American politician, Secretary of Defense, 1957-59. Received the Medal of Freedom in 1959
- Pearl McElroy, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Democratic National Committee from Nevada, 1940; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nevada, 1956
- Michael T. McElroy, American politician, Mayor of Decatur, Illinois, 2011
- Mark McElroy, American Democratic Party politician, Ohio State Attorney General, 1959-63; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1964
- ... (Another 34 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the McElroy family +
- Mr. Hugh Walter McElroy (d. 1912), aged 37, English Purser from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 8
Suggested Readings for the name McElroy +
- The Box Book with McElroy and Floyd by Mrs. Jeff Wade.
- Family Adventures of John Mackelroy of Maryland 1690-1983.
Citations +
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
- South Australian Register Thursday 4th May 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Taymouth Castle 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/taymouthcastle1854.shtml
- Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html