Show ContentsMagill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

This name is derived from either the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Gille," or the Irish Gaelic "Mac Giolla." In either case, the name was thought to be created from the occupation of being a servant.

Early Origins of the Magill family

The surname Magill was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Magill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Magill research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1231, 1639, 1653, 1692, 1693, 1700, 1806, 1816, 1854, 1855, 1865, 1866, 1870 and 1898 are included under the topic Early Magill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Magill Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacGill, Magill, Makgill and others.

Early Notables of the Magill family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir John Magill, 1st Baronet (1639-1700) was an Anglo-Irish politician, Member of Parliament for Hillsborough (1692-1693.) Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie (1806-1870)née Magill, an American historian...

Magill Ranking

In the United States, the name Magill is the 6,070th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Magill family to Ireland

Some of the Magill 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.


Magill migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Magill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Magill, aged 23, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 2
  • Daniel Magill, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 2
  • William Magill, who arrived in Norfolk, Va in 1817 2
  • John Magill, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 2
  • Joseph Magill, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1841 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Magill migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Magill Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Magill, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor" in 1834
Magill Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • H Magill, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Magill migration to Australia +

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

Magill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Magill, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
  • Mr. James Magill, Canadian convict who was convicted in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for lfie, transported aboard the "Clara" on 28th January 1864, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 4

Magill 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:

Magill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Eliza Magill, (b. 1847), aged 21, British general servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 5
  • Mr. John Magill, (b. 1855), aged 19, Irish farm labourer, from Antrim travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Magill (post 1700) +

  • Mike Magill (1920-2006), born Charles Edward Magill, an American racecar driver
  • Liz Magill (b. 1966), born Mary Elizabeth Magill, an American legal scholar and academic administrator, 9th President of the University of Pennsylvania from 2022 to 2023, Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Virginia from 2019 to 2022, and Dean of Stanford Law School from 2012 to 2019
  • Alan Jon Magill (1953-2015), American medical researcher, Director of Malaria Programs at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
  • Daniel Hamilton "Dan" Magill Jr. (1921-2014), American Sports Information Director, Head Tennis Coach, and Georgia Bulldog Club secretary for the University of Georgia
  • Juliette Augusta Magill (1806-1870), American historian and writer
  • Charles Magill (1759-1827), American lawyer, politician, and judge
  • Sir Ivan Whiteside Magill (1888-1986), Irish born anaesthetist, inventor of the Magill forceps
  • Elizabeth Magill (b. 1959), Irish painter
  • Edward James Magill (b. 1939), Northern Irish former footballer
  • Ronald Edmund Magill (1920-2007), English actor, best remembered for playing Amos Brearly in the British soap opera Emmerdale from the first episode in 1972 to 1991
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

North Sea Flood
  • Helen Magill, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
  • John Arthur Magill, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953


The Magill 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: In Domino confido
Motto Translation: I trust in the Lord.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clara
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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