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McGahey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

McGahey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The surname is one of the native Irish surnames that come from the Irish Gaelic language. The original Gaelic form of the name McGahey is "Mac Eachaidh," from the personal name Eachaidh, which is Anglicized as Aghy. It is cognate with Eochaigh, which is Anglicized as the once-common Christian name Oghy.

Early Origins of the McGahey family

The surname McGahey was first found in the county of Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McGahey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGahey research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGahey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGahey Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name McGahey were encountered in the archives: Caughey, McCaughey, McGaughey, Coffee, Coffey, Coffy, O'Coffey, O'Coffy, Mulcahy, McGahey and many more.

Early Notables of the McGahey family

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

McGahey Ranking

In the United States, the name McGahey is the 17,664^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

McGahey migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the McGahey family came to North America quite early:

McGahey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John McGahey, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Owen McGahey, aged 35, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Patrick McGahey, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
William McGahey, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1857
Ellen McGahey, aged 18, who arrived in America, in 1893
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGahey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Henrietta McGahey, aged 43, who arrived in America from County Antrim, Ireland, in 1900
William McGahey, aged 27, who arrived in America from England, in 1900
Mary McGahey, aged 22, who arrived in America from County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1905
Mary Jane McGahey, aged 30, who arrived in America from Knoch, County Down, Ireland, in 1906
Mary McGahey, aged 10, who arrived in America, in 1906
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGahey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGahey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John McGahey, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Ellen McGahey, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Margaret McGahey, aged 22, a widow, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
John McGahey, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ranger" in 1834

McGahey migration to Australia +

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

McGahey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Eliza McGahey, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Thomas Arbuthnot"
Sarah McGahey, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Thomas Arbuthnot"

McGahey 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:

McGahey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Felix McGahey, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waipa" in 1876
Mary McGahey, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waipa" in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name McGahey (post 1700) +

Jeanne McGahey (d. 1996), American poet, together with her husband Lawrence Hart, they were both members of the "Activist Group" of poets
Kathleen McGahey (1960-1984), American bronze medalist field hockey player at the 1984 Summer Olympics
John P. McGahey, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 5th District, 1970 3
Harrison McGahey (b. 1995), English football defender for Sheffield United
Michael "Mick" McGahey (1925-1999), Scottish trade unionist miner
Charles Percy "Charlie" McGahey (1871-1935), English cricketer from Whipps Cross, Leytonstone, Essex

The McGahey 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: Non providentia sed victoria
Motto Translation: No victory without foresight

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html