McVail History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland

The ancestors of the first family to use the name McVail lived among the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. The name McVail is derived from the personal name Paul. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Phàil.

Early Origins of the McVail family

The surname McVail was first found in Inverness, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Important Dates for the McVail family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McVail research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1490 and 1533 are included under the topic Early McVail History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McVail Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. McVail has been spelled MacPhail, MacPhial, MacPhiel, MacFail, MacFall, MacFaul, MacVail, MacPhale, MacPail, MacPhaul, MacFale, Phail, Fayle and many more.

Early Notables of the McVail family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early McVail Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McVail family to Ireland

Some of the McVail family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McVail migration to Canada

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name McVail:

McVail Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Ms. Margaret McVail U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 ^[1]

Citations

1. ^ 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