Macgriger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland
• Ireland

Etymology of Macgriger

The western coast of Scotland and the desolate Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Macgriger family. Their name is derived from the given name Gregory. The Gaelic form of the name was Mac Griogain, which translates as son of Gregory.

Macgriger Coat of Arms Creation

The MacGregors have for their motto " E'en do and spair nocht," and in this case the story goes that when William the Lion was out hunting a wild boar rushed to attack him. Sir Malcolm MacGregor asked permission to encounter the animal. The King answered in the words of the motto. MacGregor immediately tore up a pine sapling and killed the boar. For this the King gave Sir Malcolm liberty to use his words as a motto, and this the clan has done ever since. In their coat-of-arms there is a tree torn up by the roots.

The MacGregors refused to join the Covenant against their King, and declared that, as they bore the crown on the point of their sword, they would use the sword in defending the crown. It was only in 1775 that the proscription of the name MacGregor was finally removed.

The MacGregors have for a crest a lion's head crowned with an antique crown, and besides the motto given above, they have the Gaelic one, " 'S Rioghal Mo Dhream " (Royal is my race). Their slogan is " Ard Choille." 1

The reason for the motto "Royal is my race" is because they claim Gregor was the brother of Kenneth MacAlpin (810-858), Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841-850), and King of the Picts (848-858.) Indeed, the Coat of Arms for the MacGregors is very similar to the one used by Kenneth MacAlpin.

Early Origins of the Macgriger family

Early History of the Macgriger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Macgriger research. Another 491 words (35 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1587, 1603, 1640, 1671, 1734, 1888 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Macgriger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Macgriger Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Macgriger has appeared in various documents spelled MacGregor, MacGrigor, MacGrioghair (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Macgriger family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Macgriger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Macgriger family to Ireland

Some of the Macgriger family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Macgriger family

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Macgriger or a variant listed above include: Duncan McGregor settled in South Carolina in 1716; along with Mall; Gregor McGregor settled in Virginia along with John in 1716; John McGregor settled in Boston in 1766.