Contents [hide]

Creagh History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Creagh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The Creagh surname is derived Scottish Gaelic word "creag," meaning "a rock" which became the Scots word "craig." Craig is parish in Forfarshire which was "formerly called Inchbrayock, the 'island of trout,' by which name an island of thirty-four Scotch acres within the parish is still known. Craig was at that time only the designation of one of the chief estates, and it is supposed that, when the place of worship was transferred from the island to the property of Craig on the continental part of the district, the name of Craig, which is naturally derived from the rocky nature of the shore, was extended to the whole of the parish." 1

Early Origins of the Creagh family

The surname Creagh was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland. This northern Clan was frequently associated with the Gordons, but their first records appeared in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire to the south about 1180. One of the first records of the name was Johannes del Crag who was witness to a charter by William the Lion. Later, Robertus de Crag witnessed a charter by Alexander II. 2

Early History of the Creagh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Creagh research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1296, 1300, 1335, 1440, 1512, 1538, 1567, 1569, 1586, 1600, 1608, 1620, 1622, 1627, 1663, 1731 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Creagh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creagh Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Craig, Craigh, Creag, Creagh and others.

Early Notables of the Creagh family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was John Craig (1512?-1600), Scottish divine, born about 1512, and next year lost his father, one of the Aberdeenshire family of Craigs of Craigston, at Flodden. 3 Sir Thomas Craig (c. 1538-1608), was a Scottish feudalist, jurist and poet. He was the eldest son of William Craig of Craigfintray in Aberdeenshire. Sir Thomas' third son, John Craig M.D. (died 1620), was a Scottish physician and astronomer, physician to James VI of Scotland. Sir Lewis Craig, Lord Wrightslands (1569-1622), was an early Scottish judge, eldest...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Creagh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creagh Ranking

In the United States, the name Creagh is the 18,747^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Creagh family to Ireland

Some of the Creagh family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creagh migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Creagh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bartholomew Creagh, who arrived in New York in 1836 5
Dr. Creagh, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
James Creagh, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 5
Carmelo Creagh who settled in Philadelphia in 1878 along with Richard and Thomas
Eduardo Creagh, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1885 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Creagh Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ellie Creagh, aged 20, who landed in America from Limerick, in 1901
Ellie Creagh, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1906
Daniel Creagh, aged 21, who landed in America from Charleville, Ireland, in 1907
Catherine Creagh, aged 19, who landed in America from Rathdowney, Ireland, in 1908
Diana Creagh, aged 18, who settled in America from Kilmallock, Ireland, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Creagh migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Creagh Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Cecily Creagh, aged 25 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Minerva" departing from the port of Galway, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 6

Creagh migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Creagh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Glanville Creagh, (b. 1820), aged 28, Irish labourer who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for life for assault and attempted robbery, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda 7

Creagh 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:

Creagh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 8
Mr. Michael C Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 8
Mr. Randolph Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 8
Mrs. Gertrude Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 8
Mr. Arthur Creagh, British settler travelling from London via Cobh aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th September 1859 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Creagh (post 1700) +

Ronald Creagh (1929-2023), French sociologist and anarchist best known for his books on American intentional communities
John Creagh (1870-1947), Irish Redemptorist priest
Gethin Creagh, New Zealand Academy Award nominated sound engineer, best known for his work on the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Frank William Creagh (1924-1998), New Zealand gold medalist boxer at the 1950 British Empire Games
Andy Creagh (1953-2010), Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer
Ben Creagh (b. 1985), former Australian professional rugby league footballer
John Patrick Brasier- Creagh (1930-2012), British poet and translator
Cornelius Vincent "Vince" Creagh (1876-1909), Australian auctioneer and politician, Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Croydon (1907-1908)
Major-General Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh KBE MC (1892-1970), British commander who served in both the First and Second World Wars, Commander of the 7th Armoured Division, the Desert Rats, between 1939 and 1941
Mary Helen Creagh (b. 1967), British Labour Party politician, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development (2014-2015)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Creagh 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: Vive ut vivas
Motto Translation: Live that you may live for ever

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 22)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bangalore
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html