Monreal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland

Etymology of Monreal

What does the name Monreal mean?

Today's generation of the Monreal family inherits a name that was first used by the Scottish tribe known as the Picts. The first family to use the name Monreal lived near the foot of the river Roe in the Irish county of Derry. The Gaelic form of the name is Rothach, which means a man of Ro or a man from Ro.

Monreal Coat of Arms Creation

This is one of the oldest, most highly esteemed, and famous of the Highland clans. The crest of the Munroes is an eagle perching, with eagles as supporters, and the motto is " Dread God." The eagle is regarded as the king of birds and the emblem of magnanimity and fortitude of mind, and is cer-tainly applicable to the Munroes.

Ben Wyvis, which was the property of the Munroes in the olden time was a home of eagles, and the club moss, the badge of the Munroes, is also found in abundance on this mountain.

There is an eagle stone at Strathpeffer, and it is supposed to be in memory of some clan fight in which Munro was successful.

It is worth noting-that in a charter which the Munroes got, they were declared to hold their lands on condition of their furnishing, even at midsummer, a ball of snow, if required. This could always easily be done. Afterwards the condition of tenure was a pair of white gloves or three pence. 1

Early Origins of the Monreal family

The surname Monreal was first found in Cromartyshire, where they were descended from Donadl O'Kane and his Irish sept, who left their homeland at the mouth of the river Roe, in Ireland and settler in Ferrindonald in Cromarty, in the 11th century. Other historians suggest the name was originally Monrosse, because they were Mountaineers of Ross. In this case, their traditional origin is from the Siol O'Cain, an ancient Pictish tribe descended from Anselan O'Cain in North Moray, which also produced the Buchanans and the MacMillans.

Early History of the Monreal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Monreal research. Another 419 words (30 lines of text) covering the years 1210, 1230, 1476, 1505, 1602, 1651, 1680, 1693, 1697, 1719 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Monreal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Monreal Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Monreal has appeared Monroe, Monro, Monrow, Munroe, Munro, Munrow and many more.

Early Notables of the Monreal family

Sir William Munro of Foulis (died 1505), a Scottish Knight and Scottish Clan chief of the highland Clan Munro, by tradition the 12th Baron of Foulis and 15th overall chief of the clan; Robert Monro of the Munro of Obsdale family (died 1680), a famous Scottish General, from the Clan Munro of Ross-shire; Sir George Munro, 1st Baronet of Newmore (1602-1693), Scottish soldier and Member of Parliament; Sir John Munro, 4th Baronet of Foulis (died 1697), 22nd Baron and 25th chief of the Clan Munro; Sir Robert Munro, 5th Baronet of Foulis (died 1729), the 23rd Baron and 26th chief of...
Another 120 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Monreal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Monreal Ranking

the United States, the name Monreal is the 11,337^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Monreal migration to the United States +

Many Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Monreal:

Monreal Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Angel Monreal, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1872 3
Vicente Monreal, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1898 3

Monreal Motto and War Cry +

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: Dread God
War Cry: " Caisteal Foulis na theMe "
War Cry Description: (Foulis Castle on fire).

Sources +

Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)