MCCREADY
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Cready, Mccready
McCready is a surname of Gaelic and Scottish provenance that has been documented across the British Isles, particularly within Ireland and Scotland. The name belongs to the class of surnames derived from the patronymic tradition, where the prefix Mac signifies ‘son of’ in Gaelic.
The earliest known etymological form is the Gaelic Mac Riada, meaning ‘son of Riada’. The personal name Riada is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word riada, which translates as ‘a charge’ or ‘a thunder’. Consequently, the surname conveys a lineage linked to an ancestor whom the family identified as Riada.
Alternate early forms, including Mac Conriada, have also been recorded. Mac Conriada is interpreted as ‘son of the trained hound’ or alternatively as ‘son of the expert one’, indicating a different, though contemporaneous, origin of the name within early Irish genealogy. This duality reflects the possibility of multiple branches or interpretations of the surname within the Gaelic tradition.
In the island of Ireland the McCready family were traditionally situated in Ulster, specifically within the barony of Raphoe in County Donegal. The clan functioned as erenagh families – hereditary custodians of church property – and reliably provided priests for the local ecclesiastical community across successive generations.
The surname entered historical records in slight variations. The earliest documented spelling is that of Father Donogh MacReidy (also recorded as MacCreedy) in the year 1608, noted in the Records of the Deans and Martyrs of Coleraine in County Derry. This entry falls within the reign of King James I, spanning 1603 ‑ 1625 under the joint monarchy of England and Scotland.
Over the centuries the name has appeared in numerous permutations, including MacCready, McCreedy, McReedy, McGready, MacAredy, and shortened forms such as Crady, Craddy, Cready and Credey. These variants have been widely noted within the counties of Donegal, Derry and Antrim, as well as by individuals who settled abroad. For example, Patrick Craddy was recorded in Bagenalstown, County Carlow, on the 14th of September 1838; John Brown McCready was noted in Aghadowery, County Derry, on the 14th of May 1864; and Monsignor Charles MacCready served as rector of the Church of the Holy Cross in New York in 1890.
Thus, the McCready surname encapsulates a rich heritage rooted in Gaelic patronymic naming, early Irish ecclesiastical custodianship and the cultural interweaving of Ireland and Scotland. Its survival and continuity into modern times are evidenced by the enduring presence of its many recognised variants across the British Isles and beyond.
Typical given names associated with the McCready surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Amanda
- Caroline
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Jane
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
- Wendy
Similar and related surnames
- Maccready
- Macready
- McCreadie
- McCreedy
- McGready
- McReady
- McCredie
- Macardy
- Macarty
- Maccarty
- Maccurdy
- Macgarrity
- Macgrady
- Mackarty
- Mackirdy
- Macreadie
- Macredie
- Macredy
- Magarity
- Magourty
- Magrady
- Mcarty
- Mccardy
- Mccartey
- Mccarty
- Mccourty
- Mccrady
- Mccray
- Mccrea
- Mccreaddie
- Mccreadle
- Mccreddan
- Mccreddie
- Mccreddin
- Mccreedie
- Mccurdy
- Mccurty
- Mcgaraty
- Mcgarity
- Mcgarrety
- Mcgarrity
- Mcgarty
- Mcgorty
- Mcgourity
- Mcgourty
- Mcgradey
- Mcgrady
- Mcgratty
- Mcgroaty
- Mcgroddy
- Mcgrotty
- Mcgruddy
- Mcgurdy
- Mcgurty
- Mckarty
- Mckirdy
- Mcreadie
- Mcreddie
- Mecredy
- Megarity
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McCready in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 2,286 people named McCready in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,771st most common surname in Britain. Around 35 in a million people in Britain are named McCready.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named McCready
- Tom McCready - Football player
- Tom McCready - Scottish professional football player (1943 to 1)
- Michael McCready - Fencer (1913 to 2008)
- Chris McCready - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.