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

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

McVey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of McVey

What does the name McVey mean?

The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Mac an Bheatha," and a bearer of Mac Beatha is mentioned in the Annals as taking part in the battle of Clontarf in 1014.

Early Origins of the McVey family

The surname McVey was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat from ancient times. Today the name is numerous in north-east Ulster but back in the 17th century it was mainly recorded in Antrim, Armagh and Donegal as McVagh, McVaugh and McEvagh. 1

Early History of the McVey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McVey research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1541 and 1798 are included under the topic Early McVey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McVey Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: McVeigh, McVeagh, McVey, McVeigh, Mcvagh, MacVaugh, McEvagh and many more.

Early Notables of the McVey family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McVey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McVey Ranking

In the United States, the name McVey is the 3,433^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

McVey migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McVey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Doug McVey, aged 30, who arrived in North Carolina in 1775 3
Douglas McVey, aged 30, who landed in North Carolina in 1775 3

McVey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hugh McVey, aged 24, who landed in New York in 1812 3
Thomas McVey, aged 27, who landed in New York in 1812 3
Michael McVey, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 3
James McVey, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1855 3
Jane McVey, aged 18, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1864 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McVey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McVey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James McVey, aged 19, a cotton, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Dorcas Savage" from Belfast, Ireland
Eliza McVey, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Highlander" in 1834
James McVey, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Daniel O'Connell" in 1834
Sicily McVey, aged 35, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Harmony" in 1838

McVey 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:

McVey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph McVey, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "George Canning" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1857 4
James McVey, aged 20, a farm servant, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Christian McAusland" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name McVey (post 1700) +

Walter Lewis McVey Jr. (1922-2014), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas (1961-1963)
William Estus McVey (1885-1958), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois (1951-1958)
Steve McVey (b. 1954), American evangelical Christian author and speaker
Sam McVey (1884-1921), American heavyweight boxer, inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999, World Colored Heavyweight Champion in 1909 and 1911
Paul McVey (1898-1973), American actor, known for his work in Shane (1953), Force of Evil (1948) and Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)
Leza Marie McVey (1907-1984), American studio potter
George William McVey (1865-1896), American professional baseball player who played one season with the Brooklyn Grays in 1885
Robert Patrick "Bob" McVey (b. 1936), American gold medalist ice hockey player at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Tyler McVey (1912-2003), American character actor, known for Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959), Man's Favorite Sport? (1964) and Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966)
Patrick McVey (1910-1973), American actor, known for Big Town (1950), Manhunt (1959) and North by Northwest (1959)
... (Another 27 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the McVey family +

Lady of the Lake

Miss Sally McVey (b. 1808), Irish traveller from Derry, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
Miss Biddy McVey (b. 1814), Irish traveller from Coleraine, Northern Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking
Miss Susannah McVey (b. 1814), Irish traveller from Coleraine, Northern Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking

The McVey Motto +

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: Per ardua
Motto Translation: Through adversity.

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
"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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html