Gaelic learned family

McGrath

Mac Craith

Also: MacGrath, Magrath

“son of Mac Raith, 'son of grace'”

🏔 Waterford · Port Láirge 🏔 Fermanagh · Fear Manach 🏔 Clare · An Clár

The sept's historic heartland, highlighted. People moved — a name can be found far from home.

The story

Poets to the O'Briens and coarbs of Lough Derg. Miler Magrath managed to be simultaneously a Catholic bishop and a Protestant archbishop for decades — his sardonic epitaph at Cashel hints he knew exactly what he'd done.

Their world Around 1500 — The Kildare Ascendancy. The English crown is too poor to govern Ireland directly, so it governs through the greatest of the Geraldines instead.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Mac Craith
Mac — son of (Mc is the same word, contracted)
Craith — the ancestor, trade or place the name is built on

Find this form in the Irish-to-English index → · What Ó and Mac actually mean

Is McGrath an Irish name?

McGrath is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here.

The five answers, and why it is rarely yes or no →

From Wikipedia — “McGrath”

McGrath or MacGrath derives from the Irish surname Mac Craith and is occasionally spelled with a space, i.e. Mc Grath. In Ireland, it is pronounced "Mack Grah" "Mick Grah" or "Ma Grah". In Australia and New Zealand, it is pronounced "MuhGrah".

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Ahern · Clare Aylward · Waterford Beattie · Fermanagh Bell · Fermanagh Breslin · Fermanagh Carty · Clare Cassidy · Fermanagh Clancy · Clare Colgan · Clare Comerford · Waterford Connery · Waterford Considine · Clare Cooney · Clare Corcoran · Fermanagh

Quick answers

Is McGrath an Irish name?

McGrath is a Gaelic name: it was formed in Irish, from an Irish ancestor, before English was spoken here. In Irish the name is Mac Craith.

What does the surname McGrath mean?

McGrath (Irish: Mac Craith) means “son of Mac Raith, 'son of grace'”. Origin: Gaelic learned family.

Where in Ireland is the surname McGrath from?

The historic homeland of the McGrath name is Waterford, Fermanagh, Clare. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for McGrath?

Mac Craith. Related spellings: MacGrath, Magrath.

Looking for the McGrath family crest? Read this first — arms belong to people, not surnames, and the honest version is more interesting. Tracing McGrath ancestors? The step-by-step guide.

Not your spelling? Try the full A–Z. Know more about the McGrath name? Add to the story.