| ![Show Contents]() McGregory History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
Etymology of McGregoryWhat does the name McGregory mean? The Dalriadan clans of ancient Scotland spawned the ancestors of the McGregory family. Their name comes from the given name Gregory. The Gaelic form of the name was Mac Griogain, which translates as son of Gregory. McGregory Coat of Arms CreationThe 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 McGregory familyThe surname McGregory was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, as their origins can be traced back to Griogair, son of the eighth century King Alpin of Scotland, the High King of the Scots and Picts who died in 860 AD. Hence, their famous motto translates from Gaelic as 'Royal is my blood.' They are the principal branch of the Siol Alpine whose representative, King Kenneth the Hardy, was son of MacAlpin, the first King of the Scots. Early History of the McGregory familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGregory 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 McGregory History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McGregory Spelling VariationsThe medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English created many spelling variations of the same name. McGregory has been recorded as MacGregor, MacGrigor, MacGrioghair (Gaelic) and others. Early Notables of the McGregory familyAnother 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGregory Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the McGregory family to IrelandSome of the McGregory 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.
| McGregory 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 McGregory, or a variant listed above:
McGregory Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Alexander McGregory, who arrived in New England in 1719 2
McGregory Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- G McGregory, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
| McGregory migration to Canada | + |
McGregory Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Mr. VanEvery McGregory U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name McGregory (post 1700) | + |
- C. McGregory Wells Jr., American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1940 4
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: 'S Rioghal Mo Dhream
Motto Translation: Royal is my blood.
- Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
- 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)
- 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
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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