McGirr

McGirr, recorded as McGerr, McGirr, McGeer, and likely others, is an early Scottish and Irish surname which is common in Ulster. It derives from the pre-10th century Gaelic 'Mac an gHeairr' which is believed to translate as 'the son of the short man'. It is certain that almost all Gaelic surnames, whether Scottish or Irish, and that are not locational, derive from a nickname for the first nameholder or chief. Some of these original names were robust at best and often obscene for modern tastes, so, therefore, the meaning has been largely toned down over the years. That is not the case here, and referred to the physical size of the chief, at a time when generally people were small in stature in any case. Like many nicknames, the reverse applied, and the chief was actually tall.

The first known recordings of the surname are in Ireland in 1602. No individuals are mentioned except only that the nameholders in County Armagh are called MacEghir. Later in 1628 the name-holders are mentioned as being 'numerous in County Armagh'. The first known recording of an individual is that of Mobert M'Girre of Dalbeattie, Scotland in 1658, whilst Shane MacGirr of Fintona in Northern Ireland was a Jacobite who was outlawed after the battle of the Boyne in 1690. He is believed to have joined the Irish armies of the king of France. Elizabeth McGerr was a famine emigrant who left Ireland on the ship "Garrick of Liverpool" on May 15, 1847, bound for New York. Provided by Wikipedia