McGrew Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McGrew last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McGrew last name
Meaning of the McGrew last name: an Ulster-Scots form of a Gaelic patronymic. McGrew is an Ulster and Scottish surname from Gaelic Mac Craith, a patronymic that also produced McGrath; Smith's dictionary connects it with brewing. The last name moved to America with eighteenth-century Ulster migrants, so Pennsylvania records are a common starting point.
Arms associated with the McGrew name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full McGrew family history
This is only a glimpse of the McGrew story. The full McGrew history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted McGrew coat of arms. Get the full McGrew report.
McGrew name FAQ
What does the McGrew name mean?
An Ulster-Scots form of a Gaelic patronymic.
Where does the McGrew surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States and Mexico.
Is there a McGrew coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McGrew coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.