MacGillivray Surname Meaning & Origin
What the MacGillivray last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the MacGillivray last name
Meaning of the MacGillivray last name: the son of Gillebhrath (servant of judgment or doom). According to Elsdon Smith, the Scottish surname MacGillivray first described the son of Gillebhrath (servant of judgment or doom). Patronymic names like MacGillivray identified people through a parent or ancestor. Around 6,058 people carry the MacGillivray name today, with many in Canada, the United States and Scotland.
Arms associated with the MacGillivray name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full MacGillivray family history
This is only a glimpse of the MacGillivray story. The full MacGillivray 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 MacGillivray coat of arms. Get the full MacGillivray report.
MacGillivray name FAQ
What does the MacGillivray name mean?
The son of Gillebhrath (servant of judgment or doom).
Where does the MacGillivray surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in Canada and the United States.
Is there a MacGillivray coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized MacGillivray 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.