MacGarvy History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of MacGarvyWhat does the name MacGarvy mean? Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name MacGarvy originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Gairbhin, derived from the word "garbh," which means "rough." 1 Early Origins of the MacGarvy familyThe surname MacGarvy was first found in County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Early History of the MacGarvy familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacGarvy research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1527, 1558, 1560 and 1595 are included under the topic Early MacGarvy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. MacGarvy Spelling VariationsWithin the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname MacGarvy were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Garvin, Garvey, Garwin, Garvine, Garven, Garvan, Garvy, Garvie, Garwen and many more. Early Notables of the MacGarvy familyNotable amongst the family name at this time was John Garvey (1527-1595), an Irish Protestant bishop of Kilmore and Archbishop of Armagh. He was the eldest son of John O'Garvey of Morisk, co. Mayo and was born in the county of Kilkenny. "He was educated at Oxford, where he graduated in the reign of Edward VI; but through some negligence his name does not appear in the public... Migration of the MacGarvy familyA massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name MacGarvy or a variant listed above: James Garvey who settled in Virginia in 1680; Daniel Garvin, an 'enforced' Irish emigrant, sent to America in 1742; Patrick Garve, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1773.
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