Language & meaning
Meaning & Irish forms
Gaelic Gaelic Irish: borne by at least two unrelated medieval families, in Thomond and at Termon Magrath, with a separate Scottish family in Kintail.[1][2]
The name is built on the personal name Mac Raith, usually explained as “son of grace, or of prosperity”. Mac Raith was itself a personal name, so the surname literally means 'son of Son-of-grace'. Woulfe glosses it 'son of grace, or prosperity'; Wiktionary links rath with abundance and prosperity, and Wikipedia gives 'good fortune' or 'grace'.[1][7][8][6]
Pronunciation
McGrath: muh-GRAH or mack-GRAH
Place
Where the McGraths lived
How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.
Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.
Highest concentration · 1901
Waterford
134 per 10,000
1,173 McGraths · 4.94× the national share
Highest share, 1901
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1911
Waterford
129 per 10,000
1,058 McGraths · 4.89× the national share
Highest share, 1911
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1926
Waterford
135 per 10,000
1,052 McGraths · 4.29× the national share
Highest share, 1926
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
County figures as a table
| County | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Per 10k 1901 | Per 10k 1911 | Per 10k 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 539 | 581 | — | 12 | 12 | — |
| Armagh | 108 | 119 | — | 9 | 10 | — |
| Carlow | 149 | 140 | 153 | 40 | 39 | 45 |
| Cavan | 131 | 100 | 110 | 13 | 11 | 13 |
| Clare | 708 | 594 | 542 | 63 | 57 | 57 |
| Cork | 948 | 920 | 885 | 24 | 23 | 24 |
| Donegal | 355 | 383 | 381 | 21 | 23 | 25 |
| Down | 565 | 530 | — | 20 | 17 | — |
| Dublin | 995 | 1,006 | 1,095 | 23 | 21 | 22 |
| Fermanagh | 230 | 235 | — | 36 | 39 | — |
| Galway | 468 | 473 | 482 | 24 | 26 | 29 |
| Kerry | 149 | 125 | 119 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Kildare | 156 | 162 | 136 | 26 | 24 | 24 |
| Kilkenny | 433 | 430 | 455 | 57 | 57 | 64 |
| Laois | 139 | 137 | 117 | 24 | 25 | 23 |
| Leitrim | 83 | 76 | 88 | 12 | 12 | 16 |
| Limerick | 684 | 645 | 651 | 47 | 45 | 47 |
| Londonderry | 120 | 152 | — | 8 | 11 | — |
| Longford | 88 | 109 | 95 | 19 | 25 | 24 |
| Louth | 142 | 140 | 123 | 22 | 22 | 20 |
| Mayo | 365 | 381 | 363 | 18 | 20 | 21 |
| Meath | 169 | 174 | 190 | 24 | 27 | 30 |
| Monaghan | 55 | 51 | 56 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Offaly | 57 | 59 | 45 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Roscommon | 243 | 203 | 166 | 24 | 22 | 20 |
| Sligo | 89 | 82 | 99 | 11 | 10 | 14 |
| Tipperary | 1,572 | 1,401 | 1,343 | 98 | 92 | 96 |
| Tyrone | 534 | 493 | — | 35 | 35 | — |
| Waterford | 1,173 | 1,058 | 1,052 | 134 | 129 | 135 |
| Westmeath | 119 | 125 | 140 | 19 | 21 | 25 |
| Wexford | 350 | 355 | 316 | 34 | 35 | 33 |
| Wicklow | 110 | 100 | 101 | 18 | 16 | 18 |
Local strongholds in 1911
District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where McGraths made up the largest share of the population. In Lisheenavalla, Co. Galway, about one resident in 8 was a McGrath.
| DED | County | McGraths | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisheenavalla | Galway | 47 | 12.9% |
| Templecarn | Donegal | 71 | 12.0% |
| Grousehall | Donegal | 52 | 10.8% |
| Knockaduff | Mayo | 63 | 9.4% |
| Monsea | Tipperary | 39 | 8.7% |
| Riversdale | Limerick | 28 | 7.3% |
| Kilmacar | Kilkenny | 45 | 6.9% |
| Derrynananta | Cavan | 25 | 6.6% |
Origins
Septs & territories
Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct McGrath lineages described in the sources.
A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.
Mac Craith of Thomond
Thomond, with close links to Clare Abbey · Clare
A learned family who served the O'Brien kings and later earls of Thomond as hereditary poets and historians, closely tied to the Augustinian house of Clare Abbey. Its best-known member, Seán mac Ruaidhrí Mac Craith, wrote the 14th-century Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh. Wikipedia also lists several Mág Raith bishops of Killaloe between 1389 and 1463.[1][9][2]
Mag Raith of Termon Magrath
Termon Daveog, later Termon Magrath, around Lough Derg and Pettigo · Donegal, Fermanagh
A Donegal family whose head was coarb of St Dabhóg, the hereditary keeper of Termon Daveog at Lough Derg, and lived at the castle of Termon Magrath near Pettigo. Wikipedia says the annals begin to call the district McGrath's Termon from 1496. Wikipedia treats this family as unrelated to the Thomond line, although its Clan McGrath article claims a common Thomond origin.[1][6][9][10]
McGraths of Waterford and Tipperary
the eastern Knockmealdown slopes (Sliabh gCua), Abbeyside near Dungarvan, and the Cahir district · Waterford, Tipperary
Woulfe notes the Magraths were once influential in Co. Waterford. Wikipedia says the Waterford family, often written McCragh, held Mountain Castle and built Sleady Castle in 1628, and that Thomond McGraths set up a bardic school near Cahir in the late 16th century. The Tipperary McGraths also include descendants of Archbishop Miler Magrath's kinsmen.[1][6][11]
The name over time
History
Son of grace
The name begins with a personal name, Mac Raith, meaning 'son of grace' or 'son of prosperity', which was in use in medieval Ireland. A descendant was then called Mac Raith or Mag Raith, 'son of Mac Raith'. Woulfe explains that the c of Mac was pulled across to the second element, producing Mac Craith, the form behind McGrath, while the Mag form gave Magrath. The annals use several spellings, including Mag Craith and Mag Raith, and the English forms run from McGrath and Magrath to McGraw and McCragh.[1][4][6]
Poets and historians of Thomond
The Mac Craiths of Thomond were a learned family who served the O'Brien kings as historians and poets and had close links with Clare Abbey, an Augustinian house near Ennis. The annals record the death of a son of Mac Raith the poet in 1097. The family's great work is Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh, the 'Triumphs of Turlough', written in the 14th century by Seán mac Ruaidhrí Mac Craith. It tells of the wars between rival O'Brien lines and the de Clares that ended at Dysert O'Dea in 1318, and contains one of the earliest literary accounts of the banshee.[9][12][2][13]
Keepers of Lough Derg
In the north, a family of the name were coarbs of St Dabhóg, the hereditary guardians of his church lands at Lough Derg, home of the pilgrimage of St Patrick's Purgatory. Woulfe places their castle at the northern end of Lough Erne, a little west of Pettigo. Wikipedia adds that they controlled the routes to the pilgrimage islands and supplied several priors to the monastery on Saints' Island. The district was known as Tearmann Dabhóg until the annals began calling it Tearmann Mhic Craith, McGrath's Termon, in 1496.[1][6][14]
Miler Magrath, the bishop of two churches
The most notorious member of the Termon family was Miler Magrath, born near Pettigo around 1523. A Franciscan, he was made Catholic bishop of Down and Connor in 1565 but conformed to the Church of Ireland, and from 1571 he was Protestant archbishop of Cashel, at times holding several other sees too. Both Catholic and Protestant historians have judged him harshly. He died in 1622, in his hundredth year, and was buried at the Rock of Cashel. Termon McGrath Castle, built around 1611 for him or his son James, was damaged by Cromwellian troops in 1649–50.[15][10][6]
McGraths of Munster
In the 17th century the McGraths were well established in Munster. Wikipedia reports that the Civil Survey of 1654 found three groups in Tipperary, including Miler Magrath's descendants, and that Thomond McGraths ran a bardic school near Cahir. In Waterford, the family known as McCragh held land on the Knockmealdown slopes, where Philip McCragh of Sliabh gCua built Sleady Castle in 1628. The poet Aindrias Mac Craith, known as An Mangaire Súgach, 'the jolly merchant', died in 1790 and is buried at Kilmallock.[6][11][2][1]
Places linked to the name
- Pettigo (Termon Magrath) (Paiteagó), Co. Donegal — Village in the old termon lands; Termon McGrath Castle, built around 1611, stands just outside it.[10][1]
- Lough Derg and St Patrick's Purgatory (Loch Dearg), Co. Donegal — Pilgrimage lake whose church lands the Magraths held as coarbs of St Dabhóg.[1][6][14]
- Clare Abbey, Co. Clare — Augustinian house near Ennis with which the learned Mac Craiths of Thomond were closely connected.[9][13]
- Rock of Cashel, Co. Tipperary — Burial place of Archbishop Miler Magrath, whose tomb bears his arms.[6][15]
- Sleady Castle, Co. Waterford — Built in 1628 by Philip McGrath (McCragh) of Sliabh gCua.[11][6]
Everyday lives
The McGraths in the census
Who the McGraths were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.
McGraths All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the McGrath bar
Religion, 1911
Irish language
82 McGraths spoke Irish only in 1901.
Reading & writing
Family life, 1911
Commonest occupations
Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.
| Farmer | 2,324 |
| Farmer's son | 1,114 |
| Farmer's daughter | 582 |
| Agricultural labourer | 469 |
| General labourer | 389 |
| Farm servant | 379 |
| Labourer | 322 |
| House keeper | 294 |
| Farm labourer | 288 |
| Housekeeper | 205 |
Born outside Ireland
1.4% of McGraths in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.
| England | 71 |
| Scotland | 45 |
| United States | 30 |
| India | 11 |
| Australia & NZ | 5 |
| Wales | 2 |
Median age: 25 in 1901, 26 in 1911.
Given names
First names among the McGraths
Men and boys
- John2,491
- Patrick1,928
- James1,644
- Thomas1,526
- Michael1,458
- William738
- Denis323
- Edward320
- Joseph303
- Peter281
Women and girls
- Mary2,931
- Bridget1,422
- Margaret1,080
- Ellen800
- Catherine685
- Kate561
- Annie490
- Anne370
- Elizabeth345
- Maggie300
All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, James, Michael, Thomas; Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Ellen, Annie.
Spellings
Spellings
This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.
| Spelling | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGrath | 11,444 | 11,148 | 9,165 | Search |
| Magrath | 522 | 350 | 97 | Search |
| MacGrath | 60 | 41 | 41 | Search |
Related forms
- Magrath — From the Mag Raith form, used notably by Archbishop Miler Magrath.[1][15]
- MacGrath — The full Mac spelling of the same name.[1][5]
- McGraw, Magraw, Megrath — Further English forms recorded by Woulfe and Wikipedia.[1][6]
- McCragh, McCraith — Spellings used by the Tipperary and Waterford families in the 17th century.[6]
- MacRea, MacRay, MacCrea, Rea — English forms of Mac Raith, mostly the Scottish Kintail family rather than the Irish McGraths.[7][4]
Diaspora
The McGraths abroad
Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:
| Spelling | People | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| McGrath | 34,871 | 1006th |
| Magrath | 482 | 44576th |
| MacGrath | 111 | 148347th |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).
Heraldry
Is there a McGrath coat of arms?
Arms were borne by particular families, so there is no single McGrath crest. Burke's General Armory records quartered McGrath arms from a funeral entry in Ulster's Office, whose first quarter shows three red lions passing on silver, with other quarters showing a hand holding a cross, a hand holding a battle-axe and an antelope. Wikipedia reports that O'Hart and MacLysaght give the three red lions for the McGrath chief of Termon, and that a version appears on Miler Magrath's tomb at Cashel.[16][6]
Websites selling a single “McGrath family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.
People
Notable people named McGrath
- Seán mac Ruaidhrí Mac Craith (fl. 14th century) Historian to the O'Briens and author of Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh.
- Miler Magrath (c. 1523–1622) Franciscan turned Protestant Archbishop of Cashel, notorious for holding several sees at once.
- Cornelius Magrath (1736–1760) Tipperary-born 'Irish giant' who became a celebrated attraction in London.
- Andrew Gordon Magrath (1813–1893) US federal judge and the last Confederate governor of South Carolina.
- Harold MacGrath (1871–1932) Bestselling American novelist and one of the first writers commissioned for original screenplays.
- Joseph McGrath (1888–1966) Sinn Féin and Cumann na nGaedheal TD who built wide business interests.
- Raymond McGrath (1903–1977) Australian-born architect, long the Principal Architect of the Office of Public Works in Ireland.
- J. Howard McGrath (1903–1966) Rhode Island governor, US senator and Attorney General of the United States.
- Bob McGrath (1932–2022) American actor and singer, music teacher Bob on Sesame Street for nearly fifty years.
- Paul McGrath (born 1959) Republic of Ireland centre-back, regarded as one of Ireland's greatest footballers.
- Glenn McGrath (born 1970) Australian fast-medium bowler, one of the greatest in cricket history.
- Katie McGrath (born 1983) Irish actress known for Merlin and Supergirl.
Questions
Questions about the McGrath name
Is McGrath an Irish surname?
Yes. McGrath is an English form of the Gaelic Mac Craith or Mag Raith, 'son of Mac Raith'. Woulfe describes two leading Irish families of the name, hereditary poets to the O'Briens in Thomond and the keepers of Termon Magrath at Lough Derg in Donegal, and says the name had become very common all over Ireland. A small Scottish family of the name, in Kintail, also existed.[1][5]
What is McGrath in Irish?
The usual Irish form is Mac Craith. Woulfe considered Mac Raith or Mag Raith more correct, and the annals use Mag Craith and Mag Raith as well. All mean 'son of Mac Raith', a personal name meaning 'son of grace' or 'son of prosperity'.[1][4][6]
How do you pronounce McGrath?
In Ireland it is usually said 'mack-GRAH', 'mick-GRAH' or 'muh-GRAH', with the th silent and the stress on the second syllable. Wikipedia gives 'muh-GRAH' for Australia and New Zealand. Wiktionary also records a pronunciation that sounds the final th.[5][8]
Are McGrath and Magrath the same name?
Yes. Both come from the same Irish surname. McGrath reflects the Mac Craith form and Magrath the Mag Raith form, which Woulfe preferred. Archbishop Miler Magrath, for example, appears under both spellings. McGraw is another English form of the same name.[1][4][15]
Where does the McGrath name come from?
From two main areas. One family were learned poets and historians in Thomond, now Co. Clare, attached to the O'Briens. The other held the church lands of Termon Magrath around Lough Derg and Pettigo on the Donegal–Fermanagh border. Later branches became prominent in Waterford and Tipperary. Wikipedia's Clan McGrath article claims they share a Thomond origin, but other Wikipedia articles describe them as unrelated.[1][9][6]
Is there a McGrath family crest or coat of arms?
No single crest belongs to everyone named McGrath. Burke records quartered McGrath arms from Ulster's Office whose first quarter is three red lions on silver, and Wikipedia says the three lions are recorded for the McGrath chief of Termon and appear on Miler Magrath's tomb at Cashel. Such arms belonged to particular families and individuals.[16][6]
Is McGrath Irish or Scottish?
Overwhelmingly Irish. Woulfe does note a Scottish family of the same Gaelic name in Kintail, whose name usually became MacRea or MacRay in English, some of whom settled in the north of Ireland. Most McGraths, though, descend from the Irish families of Thomond, Termon Magrath and their Munster branches.[1][7]
Where in Ireland is the McGrath surname most common?
In the 1911 census the largest numbers of McGraths lived in Tipperary (1,401), Waterford (1,058), Dublin (1,006). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Waterford (129 per 10,000), Tipperary (92 per 10,000), Kilkenny (57 per 10,000).
How common was the McGrath surname in Ireland?
11,539 people were recorded as McGrath or Magrath or MacGrath in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 47th most common surname. That is roughly 0.3% of the population, or 1 person in 380.
Looking for a McGrath ancestor?
Search every McGrath household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.
Evidence
Sources
- Patrick Woulfe, Mag Raith, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, MacCraith (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mag Craith, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Craith, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, McGrath (2026)
- Wikipedia, Clan McGrath (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Raith, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wiktionary, McGrath
- Wikipedia, Seán mac Ruaidhri Mac Craith (2026)
- Wikipedia, Pettigo (2026)
- Wikipedia, Sleady Castle (2026)
- Wikipedia, Cathreim Thoirdhealbhaigh (2026)
- Wikipedia, Clare Abbey (2026)
- Wikipedia, Lough Derg, County Donegal (2026)
- Wikipedia, Miler Magrath (2026)
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'McGrath (impalement Fun. Ent. Ulster's Office)' and 'Magrath (Lambeth, London)'.
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
- Irish forms cross-checked against Gaois surname data (Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU).
How we compile these figures: methodology.