MacIldy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland
• Ireland

Etymology of MacIldy

The west coast of Scotland and the rocky Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the MacIldy family. The root of their name is the given name Gregory. The Gaelic form of the name was Mac Griogain, which translates as son of Gregory.

MacIldy Coat of Arms Creation

The MacGregors have for their motto " E'en do and spair nocht," and in this case the story goes that when William the Lion was out hunting a wild boar rushed to attack him. Sir Malcolm MacGregor asked permission to encounter the animal. The King answered in the words of the motto. MacGregor immediately tore up a pine sapling and killed the boar. For this the King gave Sir Malcolm liberty to use his words as a motto, and this the clan has done ever since. In their coat-of-arms there is a tree torn up by the roots.

The MacGregors refused to join the Covenant against their King, and declared that, as they bore the crown on the point of their sword, they would use the sword in defending the crown. It was only in 1775 that the proscription of the name MacGregor was finally removed.

The MacGregors have for a crest a lion's head crowned with an antique crown, and besides the motto given above, they have the Gaelic one, " 'S Rioghal Mo Dhream " (Royal is my race). Their slogan is " Ard Choille." 1

The reason for the motto "Royal is my race" is because they claim Gregor was the brother of Kenneth MacAlpin (810-858), Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841-850), and King of the Picts (848-858.) Indeed, the Coat of Arms for the MacGregors is very similar to the one used by Kenneth MacAlpin.

Early Origins of the MacIldy family

Early History of the MacIldy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacIldy research. Another 491 words (35 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1587, 1603, 1640, 1671, 1734, 1888 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacIldy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacIldy Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were not standardized practices until the last few centuries. Spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. MacIldy has been spelled MacGregor, MacGrigor, MacGrioghair (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the MacIldy family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacIldy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the MacIldy family to Ireland

Some of the MacIldy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the MacIldy family

Numerous Scottish settlers settled along the east coast of the colonies that would become the United States and Canada. Others traveled to the open country of the west. At the time of the American War of Independence, some remained in the United States, while those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The highland games and Clan societies that sprang up across North America in the 20th century have helped many Scots to recover parts of their lost traditions. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first MacIldys to arrive in North America: Duncan McGregor settled in South Carolina in 1716; along with Mall; Gregor McGregor settled in Virginia along with John in 1716; John McGregor settled in Boston in 1766.