The Strathclyde Briton clans of the Scottish/English Borderlands were the first to use the name Carrigay. It is derived from the personal name Craig. Thus, Carrigay is a patronymic name, taken from the given name of the father or some other ancestor of the bearer. However, Carrigay may also be of local origin, referring to those who lived in or near the place called Carrick in Ayrshire.
The surname Carrigay was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, and were known as 'the men of Carrick'.
Duncan de Carrick (died 1250) was made the Mormaer (Earl) of Carrick by Scottish King Alexander I in 1186. He was a direct ancestor Robert the Bruce (Robert I), King of the Scots 1274-1329.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carrigay research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1224, 1296, 1370, 1380, 1370, 1371, 1717, 1779 and 1716 are included under the topic Early Carrigay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Carrigay has been spelled Carrick, Carick, Carich, Carrich, Karryck, Karrik, Karrick, Kerrich, Kerrick, Carrig, Carrigy, McCarrigy and many more.
Notable amongst the family at this time was John de Carrick (died c. 1380), a native of Carrick, Scotland, Chancellor of Scotland and Bishop-elect of Dunkeld (1370-1371.)
David Garrick (1717-1779)...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carrigay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Carrigay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them: Richard Carrick, who arrived in Virginia in 1650; Roger Carrick, who came to Virginia in 1672; Christian Carrick, a bonded passenger, who came to America in 1758.