Show ContentsMcCready History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In Scottish history, few names go farther back than McCready, whose ancestors lived among the clans of the Pictish tribe. The ancestors of the McCready family lived in Ayrshire.

Early Origins of the McCready family

The surname McCready 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 Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the McCready family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCready research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1720 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCready History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCready Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. McCready has been written MacCreadie, MacCredie, MacCready, MacReady, MacRedie and many more.

Early Notables of the McCready family

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

McCready Ranking

In the United States, the name McCready is the 7,740th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the McCready family to Ireland

Some of the McCready family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


McCready migration to the United States +

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name McCready:

McCready Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John McCready, who arrived in Virginia in 1794 2
McCready Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas McCready, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1808 2
  • Charles McCready, aged 25, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 2
  • William McCready, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1822 2
  • Mack McCready, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1826 2
  • Raymond McCready, who arrived in Missouri in 1839 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCready migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCready Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. David McCready U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 3
  • Mr. William McCready U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 3
  • Mr. William II. McCready U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 3
McCready Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Andrew McCready, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Edward Reid" in 1833
  • Mary McCready, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834
  • John McCready, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834
  • Mary McCready, aged 5, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834
  • Andrew McCready, aged 2, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McCready 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:

McCready Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Sarah J. McCready, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name McCready (post 1700) +

  • Kevin F. McCready (1957-2004), American clinical psychologist, founder and director of the San Joaquin Psychotherapy Center
  • James McCready (1816-1909), American politician, 4th Mayor of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Constance "Connie" McCready (1921-2000), born Constance Averill, American journalist and politician, 46th Mayor of Portland, Oregon (1979-1981)
  • Keith McCready (b. 1957), nicknamed Earthquake, an American professional pool player
  • Rich McCready (b. 1970), American country music singer-songwriter
  • Malinda Gayle "MIndy" McCready (1975-2013), American country music artist who sold over three million albums, best known for her album Ten Thousand Angels
  • Benjamin "Ben" McCready (b. 1951), American portrait painter of such people as President Gerald R. Ford, President Ronald W. Reagan, President George H. W. Bush, President James Earl Carter, Robert Redford and many more
  • Michael David "Mike" McCready (b. 1966), lead guitarist of the American rock band, Pearl Jam
  • Thomas McCready (b. 1943), Scottish former professional footballer
  • Sam McCready (1936-2019), Northern Ireland actor, theatre director and playwright
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Thomas McCready, English Fireman from Liverpool, England, United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 4
North Sea Flood
  • Alexander McCready, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
  • Alfred McCready, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Robert G. Mccready, Canadian 3rd Class passenger from Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 5


The McCready 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: Semper paratus
Motto Translation: Always prepared.


  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. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  5. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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