Show ContentsMcGirr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Originally, McGirr was a nickname for a short person. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac an gheairr, which means son of the short or low-sized man.

Early Origins of the McGirr family

The surname McGirr was first found in Kirkcudbrightshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Chille Chuithbheirt), part of the present day Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, former county in Southwestern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, and were believed to be descended from one of the many (350) chiefs who accompanied the banished King Colla da Crioch, who left Ireland for the Hebrides and south west Scotland in the year 327. This ancient Irish clann were originally from County Armagh in Ireland.

Early History of the McGirr family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGirr research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1658, 1684 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McGirr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGirr Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. McGirr has appeared in various documents spelled McGirr, McGeer, McGear, MacGirr, MacGeer, McGhirr and many more.

Early Notables of the McGirr family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

  • Robert McGirre of Dumfriesshire

Ireland Migration of the McGirr family to Ireland

Some of the McGirr family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States McGirr migration to the United States +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name McGirr, or a variant listed above:

McGirr Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Felix McGirr who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1827
  • Patrick McGirr, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1830
  • Thomas McGirr, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1837 1
  • Patrick McGirr, who arrived in Maryland in 1840 1
  • Owen McGirr, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1849
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada McGirr migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGirr Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Owen McGirr, aged 50, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
  • Patrick McGirr, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
  • Mary McGirr, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Betsy Heron" from Belfast, Ireland
  • John McGirr, aged 12, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Betsy Heron" from Belfast, Ireland
  • Mr. Edward McGirr, aged 54 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Broom" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia McGirr migration to Australia +

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

McGirr Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Oliver McGirr, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Standard" 3

Contemporary Notables of the name McGirr (post 1700) +

  • George F. McGirr, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Concord 1st Ward; Elected 1938 4
  • Eugene F. McGirr, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 2nd District, 1926 4
  • Edward McCombie McGirr, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow
  • Ernest N McGirr (1887-1982), Canadian politician, who served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
  • Herbert Mendelson McGirr (1891-1964), New Zealand cricketer


  1. 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)
  2. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 44)
  3. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STANDARD 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/standard1852.shtml
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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