McAvoy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish surname McAvoy originally appeared in Gaelic as "Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe," which is probably derived from the word "fiodhbhadhach," referring to "a woodman."

Early Origins of the McAvoy family

The surname McAvoy was first found in Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman), founded by Vikings as Waesfjord, and located in Southeastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McAvoy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAvoy research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1100 and 1563 are included under the topic Early McAvoy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAvoy Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname McAvoy can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include McEvoy, Evoy, McGilloway, McVeagh, McVeigh, McAvoy, McElwee, McElwy and many more.

Early Notables of the McAvoy family

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

McAvoy Ranking

In the United States, the name McAvoy is the 6,796^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

McAvoy migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name McAvoy:

McAvoy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John McAvoy, who arrived in America in 1811 2
James McAvoy, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Richard McAvoy, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Patrick McAvoy, who arrived in New York in 1836 2
Luke McAvoy, who landed in Mississippi in 1844 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McAvoy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Daniel McAvoy, aged 18, who landed in America from Drumlish, Ireland, in 1907
Andrew McAvoy, aged 32, who landed in America from Ashton Lyne, England, in 1907
Elizabeth McAvoy, aged 28, who landed in America from Portadown, Ireland, in 1910
Frank McAvoy, aged 23, who landed in America from Mallow, Ireland, in 1911
Edward McAvoy, aged 23, who landed in America from Newtownards, Ireland, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McAvoy migration to Australia +

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

McAvoy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John McAvoy, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name McAvoy (post 1700) +

Francis S. McAvoy (1856-1925), American lawyer and politician from New York City
Thomas James McAvoy (b. 1938), American federal judge for the U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
May McAvoy (1899-1984), American silent film actress, known for her starring role in The Jazz Singer
George McAvoy (1884-1952), American Major League Baseball player who played with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1914
James Eugene McAvoy (1894-1973), American Major League Baseball catcher
Joseph J. McAvoy, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 19th District, 1880 4
John V. McAvoy (d. 1937), American politician, Justice of New York Supreme Court 1st District, 1920-37; Justice of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court 1st Department, 1933-37 4
James McAvoy, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Windham, 1908 4
Clifford T. McAvoy (1904-1957), American politician, Representative from New York 12th District, 1952; American Labor Candidate for Mayor of New York City, New York, 1953 4
Charles D. McAvoy (b. 1878), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1916, 1924, 1928; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1920-21, 1933-37 4
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html