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McGee History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

McGee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of McGee

What does the name McGee mean?

As a native Irish name, McGee is derived from the Gaelic "Mag Aodha," or "son of Hugh," while others of the name in Ireland, are ultimately of Scottish origin.

There are different understandings of the Gaelic origin as another source notes the name is "from the Irish O’Maolgaoithe; a personal name Chief of Muintir Maolgaoithe (gaoth, wind; pronounced ‘ghee’.) " 1

Early Origins of the McGee family

The surname McGee was first found in along the border of counties Donegal and Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they are thought to be descended from the Colla Uais.

The McGee surname has also been long associated with County Antrim, because of the peninsula at Lough Larne, known as the Island Magee which was part of their early Ulster territories. Before the Norman invasion in the 12th century, a Magee was chief of a Sept in county Westmeath. Today, the name is most common in Ulster; however, most of these bearers are of Scottish descent.

Early History of the McGee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGee research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1717, 1755, 1766, 1821, 1825, 1830, 1831, 1846, 1868, 1880 and 1891 are included under the topic Early McGee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGee Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Magee, Macgee, Mcgee, McGahee, McGhee and others.

Early Notables of the McGee family

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGee Ranking

In the United States, the name McGee is the 356^th most popular surname with an estimated 77,097 people with that name. 2

McGee migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew McGee who settled in Baltimore in 1804
Andrew McGee, aged 21, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1804 3
Charles McGee, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1806 3
Henry McGee, who landed in America in 1808 3
Bernard McGee, who arrived in America in 1809 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGee migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McGee Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William McGee, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
William McGee, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Thomas McGee, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mary McGee, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Thomas McGee, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGee Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary McGee, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1827
Rachel McGee, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
Margaret McGee, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834
Molly McGee, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834
Eliza McGee, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ranger" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGee migration to Australia +

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

McGee Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Mcgee, (b. 1785), aged 22, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1828 4
Mr. John McGee, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Daniel Mcgee, Scottish labourer who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years for assault, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Robert McGee, Scottish convict from Edinburgh, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
Miss Catherine Mcgee, (Magee), (b. 1795), aged 31, Irish country servant who was convicted in County Down, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McGee 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:

McGee Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

C McGee, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1839
R McGEE, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Alexander McGee, aged 34, a shoemaker, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Catherine McGee, aged 33, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Charles McGee, aged 15, a shoemaker, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McGee (post 1700) +

Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1825-1868), Irish-born, Canadian journalist, born of an Ulster family at Carlingford, co. Louth, on 13 April 1825, one of the Fathers of Confederation 8
General Charles Edward McGee (1919-2022), American fighter pilot who was one of the first African-American aviators in the United States Military, a Tuskegee Airmen; he flew 409 combat missions in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War; he received the Congressional Gold Medal, inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame
Patti McGee (1945-2024), American professional skateboarder
Joseph Halsted McGee Jr. (1929-2024), American politician, Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1963 to 1968
Charles McGee (1924-2021), American artist and educator known for creating paintings, assemblages, and sculptures
Michael Burnette "Mike" McGee (1938-2019), American offensive guard in the National Football League, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
William J. McGee, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1904, 1916 (alternate), 1924 9
William H. McGee, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1860 9
William McGee (b. 1923), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from St. Louis City 4th District, 1923 9
W. S. McGee, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1892 9
... (Another 72 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McGee family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. W. McGee, English Fireman aboard the SS Curaca from London, England, United Kingdom who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 25 Nov. 2019
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, August 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance