MCELROY
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Elroy, Mcelroy
McElroy is a surname of Irish origin, arising from the Gaelic Mac Giolla Ruaidh. The literal translation of this Gaelic form is “son of the red‑haired youth”; the element mac denotes “son of”, while giolla refers to a youth or servant and ruaidh indicates red hair.
The surname is typical of the patronymic naming system employed in Gaelic society, in which a child's designation incorporates the father's personal name. As such, McElroy was originally a nickname applied to the offspring of a young man who possessed conspicuous red hair, or possibly to a servant associated with such a youth. Over time the personal name was inherited in a hereditary fashion, giving rise to a distinct family name.
In the course of the centuries the orthography of McElroy has varied considerably. Recorded spellings include MacIlroy, MacElroy, McIlroy, McGilroy and McAlroy, among others. These variants reflect both regional dialectical differences and the process of anglicisation that affected many Gaelic surnames.
The sept associated with this name originated in County Fermanagh, a territory situated on the east side of Lough Erne. Place‑names such as Ballymackilroy in Fermanagh, and additional locations bearing the same form in Counties Tyrone and Antrim, indicate the historic settlement of the family in the northern Irish region known as Ulster. In the 15th century the clan is mentioned regularly in the Annals of the Four Masters and in the Annals of Loch Ce, signalling a position of some prominence within Gaelic Ireland.
One prominent member of the family was Rev. John McElroy, S.J. (1782–1877), a native of County Fermanagh. Educated at a hedge school, he became involved with the United Irishmen during the rebellions of 1798. He later emigrated to the United States, where he gained renown as a missionary priest and as a builder of churches.
The name also appears in records of Irish emigration during the Great Famine. For example, on 13 March 1846, Mrs. Ellen McElroy and her four children departed Liverpool aboard the vessel “Ohio”, bound for New York. Other contemporary entries include Mary McElree (Maghera, County Derry, 5 June 1845) and James McElrea (Cappagh by Omagh, County Tyrone, 3 April 1855). These entries illustrate the dispersal of the family from the north of Ireland to other parts of the British Isles during a period of mass migration.
Indications of an even earlier presence of the name are seen in the Scotland of the 14th century, when a record in the Ancient Charters of the Earldom of Morton lists a person named Michael M'Gilrey dated 1376. This appears to be a variant of the same name, and it demonstrates that a branch of the family had settled in eastern Scotland during the reign of James I (1371‑1390).
In the modern era the surname continues to be most frequently found in Ireland, particularly within the counties of Monaghan, Tyrone and Fermanagh, where its historical roots lie. Within the Irish diaspora, the name is common in the United States, especially in Texas, California and the Southern states, as well as in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. The wide geographic distribution is a consequence of the extensive immigration patterns that characterised the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Throughout its history the surname McElroy has maintained a stable identity rooted in Gaelic linguistic tradition, even as its spelling has evolved in response to anglicisation and transcription variations. Its association with a particular descriptive feature—red hair—provides a vivid illustration of the way in which physical attributes were woven into the fabric of nomenclature in early Irish societies.
Typical given names associated with the McElroy surname
Male
- David
- James
- John
- Kevin
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Thomas
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Grainne
- Helen
- Karen
- Margaret
- Maria
- Mary
- Maureen
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McElroy in...
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There are approximately 2,224 people named McElroy in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,853rd most common surname in Britain. Around 34 in a million people in Britain are named McElroy.
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 McElroy
- John McElroy - Jesuit Priest (1782 to 1877)
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.