McWilly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of McWilly

What does the name McWilly mean?

The west coast of Scotland and the rocky Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the McWilly family. The root of their name is the personal name William. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac Uilleim, which means son of William.

Early Origins of the McWilly family

The surname McWilly was first found in on the Isle of Harris, 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 Scotland.

Early History of the McWilly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McWilly research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1187, 1215, 1613 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McWilly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McWilly Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were not standardized practices until the last few centuries. Spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. McWilly has been spelled MacWilliam, MacQuilliam, MacKilliam, MacWilliams, MacKullie, MacCullie, MacWillie and many more.

Early Notables of the McWilly family

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

Migration of the McWilly family to Ireland

Some of the McWilly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McWilly migration to the United States +

Numerous Scottish settlers settled along the east coast of the colonies that would become the United States and Canada. Others traveled to the open country of the west. At the time of the American War of Independence, some remained in the United States, while those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The highland games and Clan societies that sprang up across North America in the 20th century have helped many Scots to recover parts of their lost traditions. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first McWillys to arrive in North America:

McWilly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John McWilly, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 1

Sources +

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)