MacGillivray Surname

78,433rd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 6,227 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Canada
Highest density in:
Scotland

MacGillivray Surname Definition:

Gaelic Mac Gille-bhrath, 'son of the servant of judgment' (doom), from brath, 'judgment.' The name originally may have been Maolbhrath, the Mad-later being displaced by Gille-, as in other instances. The Macgillivrays were an old Argyllshire elan or sept, but they do not appear in the 1467 ms.

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MacGillivray Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Canada2,4621:14,9662,193
United States1,3761:263,41524,843
Scotland1,0161:5,270884
Australia5481:49,2626,140
England3761:148,18614,202
New Zealand1721:26,3274,610
South Africa1301:416,75236,221
Wales351:88,4157,250
Malaysia161:1,843,38974,511
Ireland141:336,35312,021
United Arab Emirates111:832,93427,512
Qatar91:262,00030,726
France81:8,302,840321,660
Argentina71:6,106,202178,634
Thailand71:10,091,192512,203
Indonesia41:33,062,298643,618
Germany31:26,835,153452,368
Switzerland31:2,737,638105,941
Northern Ireland21:922,51818,701
Sweden21:4,923,378241,212
Brazil21:107,037,1661,031,150
China21:683,660,78330,601
Greece21:5,539,895129,142
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
DR Congo11:73,879,570260,543
Afghanistan11:32,153,18360,828
Austria11:8,515,435118,036
India11:767,065,3821,851,717
Iraq11:35,021,65431,813
Italy11:61,156,688199,583
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
Mexico11:124,126,205103,776
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Dominican Republic11:10,432,93236,508
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Nigeria11:177,142,758748,972
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Costa Rica11:4,780,06913,345
Netherlands11:16,887,176156,465
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland81:553,73317,655

MacGillivray (10) may also be a first name.

MacGillivray Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Gaelic Mac Gille-bhrath, 'son of the servant of judgment' (doom), from brath, 'judgment.' The name originally may have been Maolbhrath, the Mad-later being displaced by Gille-, as in other instances. The Macgillivrays were an old Argyllshire elan or sept, but they do not appear in the 1467 ms. They are, however, early found in association with the Macleans in Mull, which probably was their original home. Archibald Makillewray was presented to the rectory of the parish church or S. Columba in Beandmoyll (Benbecula), 1535 (RSS., II, 1181), as Archibald Mclluray he resigned the rectory of Ewist in 1542 (ibid., 4880), and in 1542 as Mclliwray he was presented to the chaplaincy of Ellen, Finlagan and S. Columba in Isla (ibid., 4566). Ronald McAllen Mcllvery or Mcllverie was tenant on lands in Ardnamurchan, 1541 (ER., XVII, p. 645), and Duncan M'Gillewra, witness at Glenurquhay, 1549 (BBT., p. 187). Rev. Martin Mc illura (or Mcllvora, M'llvra, M'llwra) had several ups and downs during his incumbency of different churches in Argyllshire between 1626-50. Farquhar MacGillivray had a feu of the lands of Dunmaglas from Campbell of Cawdor, 1622 (Cawdor, p. 258), and a later Farquhar M'Gillevray of Dunmaglas was one of the signers of the letter to George I in 1715. Donald Moir McGilwrey granted to James Grant of Freuchie in 1646 that he had been engaged in spoilzering (plundering) (Grant, III, p. 240). Macgillivrays took a prominent part in the rebellion of '45, and their chief is said to have been killed in the battle of Culloden, beside the Well of the Dead. VcGillevorie 1609, McGillavrach 1638, McGillievraid 1713 McGillivray 1672, M'Gillowray 1745, M'Gwillwray 1685, Mcllra 1616, Mcllvrach 1618, M'Ilvray 1674, Mcllwray 1542; MacGillevoray, M Gillewra, McGilvra, Mcllvrae, MacIloray.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

Archibald Mcllvoray, tenant and servant of James Campbell of Ardkinglas, 1579 (RPC., III p. 235). Donald Macolvorie or Malcovorie in Glasgow University, 1590-1593 (RUG., III). Margaret MTlworrie in Carren, 1672 (HP., II, p. 208). John M'llvorrie in Isle of Erraie and Malcolm M'llvorrie in Forwachlie were denounced rebels, 1675 (HP., I, p. 298,299). Angus McOulvorie in Neather Rible, 1726 (ibid., II, p. 323).

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

MACILVORA, Macilvoray, Macgillivray: Archibald Mcllvoray, tenant and servant of James Campbell of Ardkinglas, 1579 (RPC., III p. 235). Donald Macolvorie or Malcovorie in Glasgow University, 1590-1593 (RUG., III). Margaret MTlworrie in Carren, 1672 (HP., II, p. 208). John M'llvorrie in Isle of Erraie and Malcolm M'llvorrie in Forwachlie were denounced rebels, 1675 (HP., I, p. 298,299). Angus McOulvorie in Neather Rible, 1726 (ibid., II, p. 323).

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Celtic) Son of Gille- Bhràth = Servant of Judgment [Gaelic gille, servant + bhràth, genit. of bràth, judgment]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

“Son of Gillebrath” (“Servant of Judgment”) in Gaelic.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(Scottish) The son of Gillebhrath (servant of judgment or doom).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Mac-Gille-Bhrae (pron. Vrae) "The son of the Lad of the ' brae ' or eminence." So say the Gaelic etymologists, whom it is a sin for a Southron to call in question; and it must therefore pass. A brae is the side of a hill.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

MacGillivray Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name MacGillivray Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname MacGillivray is more frequently found in Canada than any other country/territory. It may be found as a variant:. For other possible spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name MacGillivray? popularity and diffusion

It is the 78,433rd most common family name on a worldwide basis, borne by around 1 in 1,170,314 people. This last name is predominantly found in The Americas, where 62 percent of MacGillivray are found; 61 percent are found in North America and 60 percent are found in Anglo-North America. MacGillivray is also the 3,684,242nd most widespread given name world-wide, held by 10 people.

This surname is most frequent in Canada, where it is held by 2,462 people, or 1 in 14,966. In Canada it is primarily found in: Ontario, where 37 percent are found, Nova Scotia, where 23 percent are found and British Columbia, where 15 percent are found. Besides Canada MacGillivray is found in 42 countries. It is also found in The United States, where 22 percent are found and Scotland, where 16 percent are found.

MacGillivray Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of MacGillivray has changed over time. In Ireland the number of people bearing the MacGillivray surname rose 175 percent between 1901 and 2014.

MacGillivray Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those holding the MacGillivray last name is primarily Presbyterian (50%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the MacGillivray last name are 11.54% more likely to be registered Democrats than The US average, with 64.77% registered with the party.

The amount MacGillivray earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 52.05% more than the national average, earning R 361,332 per year; in United States they earn 24.08% more than the national average, earning $53,541 USD per year and in Canada they earn 1.1% more than the national average, earning $50,229 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

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MacGillivray Reference & Research

MacGillivray FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacGillivray
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis