Show ContentsMcGraw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

All Irish surnames have underlying meanings that can be traced back to their fullest points when the names first appeared in a Gaelic form. The name McGraw originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Graith or Mag Raith; these are both derived from the personal name Craith which literally means "to weave" and in this case is an occupational name too. The Mac or Mc prefix would denote "son of the weaver." 1

Anciently the family claim descent through O'Sullivan Mor which explains the stag (or antelope) in the fourth quarter of the shield. In turn, the O'Sullivans descend from the Heber line of Irish kings. 1

Early Origins of the McGraw family

The surname McGraw was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from ancient times. They were the hereditary poets to the O'Briens of Thomond. The family is still found here, but present day descendants usually hail from Tipperary and Waterford. Another branch was located at Termon MacGrath on the borders of Donegal and Fermanagh. 2

The MacGraths were Chiefs in the County of Waterford since very early times. A sub-branch was located at Ballynagilty in Waterford where Philip MacGrath was the progenitor. 1

This latter branch of the family produced Thomas McGrath of Ardagh, near Youhal, co. Cork who had four sons and twelve daughters. Thomas was descended from the Ulster M'Graths of Clanaboy, who were of the race of Clan Colla and were men of influence in County Waterford. Two of the sons emigrated to the Americas: Alderman Thomas McGrath of Montreal (died 1864); and Denis MacGrath of New York (died in 1846.) 1

Early History of the McGraw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGraw research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1067, 1097, 1172, 1240, 1389, 1395, 1400, 1415, 1421, 1423, 1433, 1450, 1460, 1463, 1523, 1580, 1600, 1622 and 1650 are included under the topic Early McGraw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGraw Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname McGraw were found in the many archives researched. These included MacGrath, MacGraw, MacGrauth, Magrath, Magraw and many more.

Early Notables of the McGraw family

Notable among the family name at this time was Miler MacGrath (1523-1622), Archbishop of Cashel. Seán mac Ruaidhri Mac Craith (fl. 14th-century), later known as John Macrory Magrath, was an Irish historian known as the author of Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh.Mathghamhain Mág Raith, was Bishop of Killaloe, (1389-1400) and Donatus Mág Raith, O.S.A., was Bishop of Killaloe (1400-1421.) Continuing this line was Thaddaeus Mág Raith I, Bishop of Killaloe (1423-1433) and Thaddaeus Mág Raith II, Bishop of Killaloe, (1460-1463.) Miler Magrath (1523?-1622)...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGraw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGraw Ranking

In the United States, the name McGraw is the 1,469th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3


McGraw migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name McGraw:

McGraw Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas McGraw, who arrived in America in 1810 4
  • Joseph McGraw, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 4
  • Catherine McGraw, who landed in Mississippi in 1825 4
  • Michael McGraw, aged 22, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 4
  • Hugh McGraw, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1855 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGraw migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGraw Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Private. Neil McGraw U.E., (McRae, McCraw) (b. 1755) born in Argyleshire, Scotland who settled in York County, New Brunswick c. 1787, then relocated to Tabinsutac, New Brunswick in 1798 he served in the 1st Battalion, 42nd Highlanders known as the Black Watch, married to Mary Edwards having 10 children, he died in 1834 5

McGraw migration to Australia +

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

McGraw Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary McGraw, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl of Liverpool" in December 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. John Mcgraw, (b. 1794), aged 37, English farmers man who was convicted in Northumberland, England for life for breaking and entering, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Thomas McGraw, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • John McGraw, aged 41, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Sea Park" 9
  • Ellen McGraw, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Sir Thomas Gresham" 10

McGraw 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:

McGraw Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. W. McGraw, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th October 1861 11
  • Mrs. McGraw, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th October 1861 11
  • Miss McGraw, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th October 1861 11
  • Mr. John Mcgraw, (b. 1838), aged 25, Scottish farm labourer, from Ross-shire travelling from London aboard the ship "Metropolis" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th June 1863 12

Contemporary Notables of the name McGraw (post 1700) +

  • Phillip Calvin McGraw (b. 1950), best known as Dr. Phil, an American television personality, psychologist and author
  • Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw (b. 1967), American singer, actor, and record producer from Start, Louisiana, winner of three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music awards, 11 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, 10 American Music Awards, and three People's Choice Awards
  • Warren Randolph McGraw (1939-2023), American jurist and politician in West Virginia, brother of former West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw
  • James H. McGraw (1860-1948), American co-founder of The McGraw-Hill Companies and President of the company from 1917-1928
  • Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. (1944-2004), American MLB baseball relief pitcher, perhaps best remembered for coining the phrase "Ya Gotta Believe", which became the rallying cry for the 1973 New York Mets
  • Private First Class Francis X McGraw, American soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944
  • John Harte McGraw (1850-1910), American politician, 2nd Governor of Washington state
  • Eloise Jarvis McGraw (1915-2000), American author of children's books, three-time winner of the Newbery Honor Award
  • John Joseph "Muggsy" McGraw (1873-1934), American Major League Baseball player and manager
  • Edward McGraw, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rensselaer County 1st District, 1896-97 13
  • ... (Another 36 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Monongah Mine
  • Mr. Jonathan J. McGraw (b. 1880), Italian coal miner who was in mine 8 at the Monongah Mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 14


Suggested Readings for the name McGraw +

  • Dunkin-Reid and Garner-McGraw-Mobley Families of South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama by Dean Smith Cress.
  • Early McGraw Families of Arkansas County, Arkansas by Carolyn Cloud Stanley.

  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. 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
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-of-liverpool
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  9. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SEA PARK 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/seapark1852.shtml
  10. South Australian Register Monday 20th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Sir Thomas Gresham 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/sirthomasgresham1854.shtml
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  14. Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).


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