Show ContentsMcRory History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

There are many Irish surnames being used today in forms that are quite different than their original, ancient forms. McRory originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Ruaidhri, which means son of Rory. 1

Early Origins of the McRory family

The surname McRory was first found in County Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the McRory family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McRory research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1298 and 1800 are included under the topic Early McRory History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McRory Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname McRory were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. MacCreary, MacCreery, MacCrary, MacCrory and others.

Early Notables of the McRory family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McRory Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


McRory migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name McRory or a variant listed above, including:

McRory Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Adam McRory, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 2
  • Molly McRory, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 2

McRory migration to Australia +

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

McRory Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary McRory, (Fletcher), Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Buffalo" on 4th May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
  • Mr. John Mcrory, (b. 1816), aged 28, Irish labourer who was convicted in Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

McRory 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:

McRory Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James McRory, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 5

Contemporary Notables of the name McRory (post 1700) +

  • Arthur "Art" McRory (d. 2023), Irish Gaelic football manager of the Tyrone county team until 2002, winning five Ulster Senior Football Championships
  • Art McRory, Irish former Tyrone Gaelic football manager (1980-1987)
  • Kita McRory, Canadian actress, known for Want to Believe (2014) and Trailer Park Boys (2001)
  • Gordon McRory, birth name of Mince Fratelli, a Scottish drummer and back up vocalist in the band The Fratellis
  • John McRory (1834-1893), Canadian merchant and politician, Member of Parliament for Addington (1879-1882)


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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