Marchay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Marchay

What does the name Marchay mean?

In the mountains of Scotland's west coast and on the Hebrides islands, the ancestors of the Marchay family were born. Their name comes from the personal name Aodh, which is often Anglicized as Hugh. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Aoidh, which means son of Aodh.

Early Origins of the Marchay family

The surname Marchay 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, 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 Scotland.

Early History of the Marchay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marchay research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1304 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Marchay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marchay Spelling Variations

In various documents Marchay has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Mackie, Mackey, MacHugh and others.

Early Notables of the Marchay family

More information is included under the topic Early Marchay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Marchay family to Ireland

Some of the Marchay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marchay migration to the United States +

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Marchay or a variant listed above include:

Marchay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Matthias Marchay, who arrived in New York, NY in 1832 1

The Marchay 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: Labore
Motto Translation: By labour.

Sources +

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)