29,102 Global MCCRAY Family Members

MCCRAY Family History

This notable Scottish surname, variously spelt Maccrea, Maccraw, Maccree and Maccrie, derives from an ancient Gaelic male given name "MacRaith", son of grace, prosperity, or favour, from the Celtic "rat", luck, fortune. This name, inscribed as "Maqi Rati" on an ogham stone found at Keenrath, in the Irish county of Cork, may have been introduced into Scotland as early as the 5th Century A.D., when the Gaelic language was brought from Ireland. Alternatively, like many other old personal names, "MacRaith" may have arisen independently in different places and at various dates. One Macraith de Ospitali witnessed the gift of a church to the canons of Holyrood in the reign of Malcolm 1V (1153 - 1165)...