MCGAW
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Gaw, Mcgaw
McGaw is a Scottish surname of Gaelic origin, traditionally interpreted as a patronymic meaning son of the smith. It is derived from the Gaelic *MacGabhann*, the personal name Gabhann itself being recognised as the occupation of a blacksmith or metalworker.
Another scholarly derivation situates the name within a semi‑anglicised form of the Olde Scots Gaelic *M'Adhamh*. In this reading, the prefix mac again means 'son of', while the personal name *Adhamh* is linked to the Hebrew term 'red earth'. Historical documents record the usage of this form under spellings such as MacCaw, McCaw, Megaw and Magaw from the latter half of the 15th century.
The earliest confirmed record of the surname appears in the 1481 Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where a Donald McCawe is listed as a tenant of Drumboy during the reign of King James III. Subsequent references include a 1489 entry for Patrick MakCaw in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland and a 1613 fine imposed on Donald McCaw for the reset of members of Clan Gregor, as noted in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland.
Geographically, the surname has concentrated in Scotland, particularly within Ayrshire, where migrations from Ireland have played a noticeable role. In Ireland itself, the name also appears, most frequently in County Cavan of Ulster. During the periods of colonisation and the 17th‑century Plantation of Ulster, bearers of the name were brought or settled in the north of the country, thereby ensuring its continued presence in Northern Ireland.
In terms of diaspora, individuals bearing the name McGaw migrated to the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and other English‑speaking regions. These migrations have led to the surname being recognised worldwide, although its highest frequencies remain within the British Isles.
There exist numerous orthographic variants of the surname, including McGowan, McGavin, McCaw, Megaw, Magaw, M'Gaw, M'Ghie, and M'Gie. The variant McGaffe is also occasionally encountered, as is the more distant relationship with surnames such as Mackay, MacHugh and MacGuffog, though these have distinct origins despite phonetic overlap. Variations in spelling often resulted from the practice of recording names phonetically by scribes in earlier centuries.
Because of its patronymic construction, the surname McGaw serves as a historical reminder of ancestral ties to the craft of smithing, and as such, it occupies an important place in the cultural identity of families that trace their lineage back to early Gaelic Scotland and Ireland.
Typical given names associated with the McGaw surname
Male
- Andrew
- Brian
- Christopher
- David
- Duane
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Scott
- William
Female
- Alison
- Angela
- Donna
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jean
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Melinda
- 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 McGaw in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 728 people named McGaw in the UK. That makes it roughly the 9,413th most common surname in Britain. Around 11 in a million people in Britain are named McGaw.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named McGaw
- Alfred McGaw - Cricketer (1900 to 1984)
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.