McGrath
An Irish surname most often understood as meaning “son of the poet” or “son of the learned one,” with several spelling forms in Irish and Scottish tradition.
The #1,006 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,854 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McGrath comes from Irish Mac Craith, a patronymic formed with mac meaning “son of” plus a personal name Craith. Older surname books gloss Craith in more than one way, most commonly linking it to a sense such as “weaver” or to an older personal name rather than treating it as a simple descriptive word. In Gaelic usage the name appears in many spellings, including MacGrath, Magrath, and MacReath/MacCrea-type forms.
History
The name is strongly associated with Ireland, especially Munster, and also appears in Scottish Gaelic forms. Historical surname writers record several anglicized spellings, reflecting regional pronunciation and the move from Gaelic to English record-keeping. By the 19th century it was well established enough to appear as a fairly common Irish surname in statistical lists.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname lists place McGrath among the recorded Irish family names in both Ulster and other provinces, showing how widely the name had spread by that period.
From the historical record
“There is no connexion with the Mac's or Mc's of Ireland or Scot- land, as in Macdonald or McGrath. WilibUD de Uaukanip;*, cs. Line, "Hwrr' Mankonieyi, ik Bdw. II: C«iliaUaiCama)n,i379: P.T.Yorki.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instancesNotable people named McGrath
- Katie McGrath (b. 1983)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.