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Monro History Etymology Coat of Arms Creation Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto and War Cry Sources

Monro History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of Monro

What does the name Monro mean?

The Pictish clans of ancient Scotland were the ancestors of first people to use the name Monro. The name was found 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.

Monro 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 Monro family

The surname Monro 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 Monro family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Monro 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 Monro History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Monro Spelling Variations

In the Middle ages, spelling and translation were not yet regulated by any general rules. spelling variations in names were common even among members of one family unit. Monro has appeared Monroe, Monro, Monrow, Munroe, Munro, Munrow and many more.

Early Notables of the Monro family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Robert Monro of the Munro of Obsdale family (died 1680), a famous Scottish General, from the Clan Munro of Ross-shire

Monro migration to the United States +

Faced by this persecution and the generally unstable political climate of those days, many Scots chose to leave their homeland for Ireland, Australia, and North America in search of greater opportunity and freedom. The colonies across the Atlantic were the most popular choice, but a passage there was neither cheap nor easily suffered. Passengers arrived sick and poor, but those who made it intact often found land and more tolerant societies in which to live. These brave settlers formed the backbone of the burgeoning nations of Canada and the United States. It is only this century that the ancestors of these families have begun to recover their collective identity through the patriotic highland games and Clan societies that have sprung up throughout North America. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Monro:

Monro Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christian Monro, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 2
John Monro, who landed in Virginia in 1704 2
Andrew Monro, who landed in Virginia in 1727 2
Alexander Monro, who settled in Georgia in 1735 with his wife and children
Alex Monro, who arrived in Georgia in 1735 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Monro migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Monro Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Donald Monro, who landed in Quebec in 1784
Lieut. John Monro U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Ontario c. 1784 3

Monro 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:

Monro Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Dr. Monro, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Eagle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 26th June 1842 4
Jessie Monro, aged 23, a domestic servant, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
Catherine Monro, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
Mr. Alexander Monro, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Vienna" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th September 1861 5
Miss Jane Monro, (b. 1837), aged 26, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Monro (post 1700) +

Donald Monro, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania at-large, 1900, 1900 6
C. A. Monro, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 1912 6
Sir David Monro (1813-1877), Scottish-born, New Zealand politician, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (1861 to 1870)
David Binning Monro (1836-1905), Scottish Homeric scholar
Alexander Monro II (1733-1817), Scottish anatomist
Matt Monro (1930-1985), English singer
Alexander Monro (b. 1981), Canadian rugby union footballer
General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro GCB, GCSI, GCMG (1860-1929), 1st Baronet of Bearcrofts, British Army General during World War I, Governor of Gibraltar (1923 to 1929)
Monro MacCloskey (1902-1983), Brigadier General in the United States Air Force

Monro 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
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html