Scotland's western coastal mountains and the desolate
Hebrides spawned the line of the McIlravy family. The name McIlravy was originally a
nickname for a young man with tanned skin or with tawny hair with darker streaks. The Gaelic form of the name is
Mac 'Ille riabhaich, which means
son of the brindled lad.Early Origins of the McIlravy family
The surname McIlravy was first found in
Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of
Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North
Ayrshire, where they held a
family seat from very early times.
Early History of the McIlravy family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McIlravy research.
Another 431 words (31 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1376, 1476, 1508 and 1526 are included under the topic Early McIlravy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McIlravy Spelling Variations
Spelling and translation were not standardized practices until the last few centuries.
Spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. McIlravy has been spelled Macilreach, McIlreach, MacIlreath, McIlreath, Macilriach, McIlriach, Macilraith, McIlraith, Macilaraith, McIlaraith, Macilarith, McIlarith, Macilwraith, McIlwraith, Macilwraithe, McIlwraithe, MacIlwrathe, McIlwrathe, MacKilwrath, McKilwrath, MacKilwrathe, McKilwrathe, Macgfillreich, McFillreich, Macileriach, McIleriach, Macillrich, McIllrich, Macilurick, McIlurick, Macilwrick, McIlwrick, MacIlwrith, McIlwrith, MacIlrevie, McIlrevie, MacKilreve, McKilreve, MacKilrea, McKilrea, MacElrath, McElrath, MacElreath, McElreath, McElvrick, MacElvrick, McIllrie, MacIllrie, MacAlwraith, McAlwraith, Revie, McRevie and many more.
Early Notables of the McIlravy family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early McIlravy Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the McIlravy family to Ireland
Some of the McIlravy family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 53 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 McIlravy family to the New World and Oceana
Settlers from
Scotland put down roots in communities all along the east coast of North America. Some moved north from the American colonies to Canada as United Empire Loyalists during the American
War of Independence. As
Clan societies and highland games started in North America in the 20th century many Scots rediscovered parts of their heritage. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name McIlravy were among those contributors: John McIllreavy landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1846; Archibald McIllree landed there in 1832; William McIlrea landed in Philadelphia in 1834.
Contemporary Notables of the name McIlravy (post 1700)
- William N. McIlravy, American politician, Delegate to New York convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The McIlravy 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: Per mare per terras
Motto Translation: By sea and by land.