McGrew
An Irish and Scottish surname most often understood as a patronymic meaning “son of Grew.”
The #3,786 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,007 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McGrew is a patronymic surname built on the Gaelic prefix Mac, meaning “son of,” plus a personal name or nickname rendered as Grew. In surname practice, Grew is usually taken as an Anglicized form of an older Gaelic forename, though the exact source name is not always certain. The name therefore most likely means “son of Grew” or “son of the one called Grew.”
History
The surname is found in Ulster and in Scottish-influenced areas of Ireland, and later spread through migration to Britain and North America. In English-language records it appears with several spellings, reflecting the shift from Gaelic naming to Anglicized forms. The modern American distribution fits a family name that traveled with Irish and Scottish emigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling with Mc- is the result of English scribes shortening Mac-, a very common change in Irish and Scottish surnames.