McGregoray History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland
• Ireland

Etymology of McGregoray

McGregoray comes from the ancient Dalriadan clans of Scotland's west coast and Hebrides islands. The name comes from the given name Gregory. The Gaelic form of the name was Mac Griogain, which translates as son of Gregory.

McGregoray Coat of Arms Creation

The MacGregors have for their motto " E'en do and spair nocht," and in this case the story goes that when William the Lion was out hunting a wild boar rushed to attack him. Sir Malcolm MacGregor asked permission to encounter the animal. The King answered in the words of the motto. MacGregor immediately tore up a pine sapling and killed the boar. For this the King gave Sir Malcolm liberty to use his words as a motto, and this the clan has done ever since. In their coat-of-arms there is a tree torn up by the roots.

The MacGregors refused to join the Covenant against their King, and declared that, as they bore the crown on the point of their sword, they would use the sword in defending the crown. It was only in 1775 that the proscription of the name MacGregor was finally removed.

The MacGregors have for a crest a lion's head crowned with an antique crown, and besides the motto given above, they have the Gaelic one, " 'S Rioghal Mo Dhream " (Royal is my race). Their slogan is " Ard Choille." 1

The reason for the motto "Royal is my race" is because they claim Gregor was the brother of Kenneth MacAlpin (810-858), Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841-850), and King of the Picts (848-858.) Indeed, the Coat of Arms for the MacGregors is very similar to the one used by Kenneth MacAlpin.

Early Origins of the McGregoray family

Early History of the McGregoray family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGregoray research. Another 491 words (35 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1587, 1603, 1640, 1671, 1734, 1888 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McGregoray History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGregoray Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years McGregoray has appeared as MacGregor, MacGrigor, MacGrioghair (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the McGregoray family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGregoray Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McGregoray family to Ireland

Some of the McGregoray family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McGregoray family

Many of the ancestors of Dalriadan families who arrived in North America still live in communities along the east coast of Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence many of the original settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the ancestors of many Scots began recovering their collective national heritage through Clan societies, highland games, and other patriotic events. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name McGregoray or a variant listed above: Duncan McGregor settled in South Carolina in 1716; along with Mall; Gregor McGregor settled in Virginia along with John in 1716; John McGregor settled in Boston in 1766.