McCrainer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of McCrainer

What does the name McCrainer mean?

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name McCrainer is Mac Threinfir, from the words trean, meaning strong, and fear meaning man. This name is often rendered MacTraynor or MacTreanor in English, but the Anglicizations Mac Crainor and MacCreanor are actually more phonetically accurate.

Early Origins of the McCrainer family

The surname McCrainer was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat and were associated with the family of Armstrong which settled in that county from the English/Scottish border.

Early History of the McCrainer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCrainer research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCrainer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCrainer Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname McCrainer were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Traynor, Trainor, Trayner and others.

Early Notables of the McCrainer family

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

Migration of the McCrainer family

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name McCrainer or a variant listed above: William Trainor who settled in Admiral's Cove, Newfoundland, from Portsmouth, Hampshire in the 17th century; Bernard, Francis, Henry, Hugh, James, John, and Michael Trainor, all settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1838 and 1878.