McGraw (surname) explained

McGraw or MacGraw is a surname of Irish and Scottish origin.^[1] McGraw has been theorized to be a variant of McCrae, which itself is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mag Raith, a patronymic arising from the byname Rath, meaning "grace" or "prosperity".^[2] Another source suggests that McGraw is a Northern Irish variant of McGrath.^[3]

Notable people with these surnames are:

In acting:

• Ali MacGraw (born 1939), American actress and model
• Charles McGraw (1914-1980), American actor
• Melinda McGraw (born 1968), American actress

In politics:

• Darrell McGraw (born 1936), lifelong West Virginian and a Democratic politician
• John McGraw (governor) (1850-1910), Republican Governor of Washington state from 1893 to 1897
• Perrin H. McGraw (1822–1899), New York politician
• Warren McGraw (1939-2023), long serving politician and trial lawyer in West Virginia

In fiction:

• Quick Draw McGraw, fictional cartoon character, first appeared in 1959

In literature:

• Eloise McGraw (1915-2000), author of children's books
• Gary McGraw (born 1966), American computer scientist and co-author of five best selling books
• Jay McGraw (born 1979), American author of self-help books, son of Phil McGraw (Dr. Phil)

In music

• Tim McGraw (born 1967), American country musician

In sports:

• Allan McGraw (1939-2023), Scottish football player and manager and father of Mark McGraw
• John McGraw (1873–1934), American Hall of Fame baseball player and manager
• Mark McGraw (born 1971), Scottish football player and son of Allan McGraw
• Muffet McGraw (born 1955), American women's basketball coach
• Thurman "Fum" McGraw (1927-2000), football player
• Tom McGraw (born 1967), former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Tug McGraw (1944–2004), American baseball player and father of Tim McGraw

In business

• James H. McGraw (1860-1948), co-founder of The McGraw-Hill Companies and president of the company from 1917 to 1928
• Harold McGraw III (born 1948), executive of The McGraw-Hill Companies and great-grandson of its co-founder, James H. McGraw

In other fields:

• Jennie McGraw (1840-1881), millionaire philanthropist and daughter of John McGraw
• John McGraw (merchant) (1815-1877), New York lumber tycoon
• John McGraw (brigadier general) (1912-1976), flight surgeon during World War II
• Myrtle Byram McGraw (1899–1988), American psychologist
• Phil McGraw (born 1950), American psychologist and TV personality
• Tam McGraw (1952–2007), Scottish fugitive

See also

• McGrath (disambiguation)
• Clan McGrath

Notes and References

1. Web site: McGraw Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History .
2. McCrae . 1988 . A Dictionary of Surnames . Oxford University Press . Hanks . Patrick . Patrick Hanks . 357 . 0-19-211592-8 . Hodges . Flavia . registration . Internet Archive.
3. McGraw . 2003 . Dictionary of American family names . . Hanks . Patrick . Patrick Hanks . Two (G-N) . 555 . Scanned text . 0-19-516558-6 . registration.