The name MacGregor originated in Scotland about the 8th Century A.D., and comes from the name Griogar, a son of Alpin, king of Dalriada. It was first used in the 14th Century, and probably means "Gregor of the golden bridles", and the son of Gregor, named Iain Camm, who succeeded him as 2nd chief before 1390. The clan was given the area along the Eastern border of Argyll and the Western border of Perthshire, which included Glenmorchy, Glenstrae and Glengyle, and these lands were bestowned on the MacGregors by Scottish King Alexander II for services rendered in the conquest of Argyll. Robert the Bruce had granted the barony of Loch Awe to the Campbells and this covered much of the land used by the MacGregors (son of Gregor), so the clan of MacGregor was largely confined to Glenstrae. Attempts to displace the clan from these lands led to inevitable retaliation by the MacGregors, who became know as a 'turbulent' clan. In 1519, Iain of Glenstrae died without any direct heirs and the Campbells gave the succession to Eian Macgregor, who was married to the daughter of Colin Campbell of Glenorchy. Eian's son, Alistair, fought at the battle of Pinkie in 1547, but after his death, Colin Campbell would not acknowledge the claim to the land by Gregor Roy MacGregor, and Gregor waged a guerilla war for ten years, but was finally captured and killed by the Campbells in 1570.

The MacGregors were involved in 1589 in the killing of John Drummond, the king's forester, because Drummond had hanged some MacGregors for poaching. The MacGregors took part in the Conflit of Glenfruin in 1603. The rival clan, the Campbells, encouraged King James VI and the Privy Council to issue an edict banning the use of the name MacGregor, and the clan chief was hanged at Edinburgh's Mercat Cross in 1604. However, many MacGregors adopted the name Murray, Graham, Stewart, Grant and even Campbell. The surname of MacGregor was not fully restored until 1774.

During the 18th century, there were many disputes over who should be chief, but eventually John Murray (later MacGregor) of Lanrick was recognised as chief. The MacGregors of Glengyle disputed this, eventually, taking the position that had been signed by 800 MacGregors, but the Lord Lyon also recognised him as chief in 1775.

Certainly one of the most famous MacGregors was Rob Roy MacGregor, the son of Lt.-Col. Donald MacGregor of Glengyle, who was forced to use his mother's maiden name Campbell because of the proscription of the MacGregor name. He took part in the first Jacobite Uprising in 1715. Later he raided Lowland farms and became known for his prowess with a sword, which earned him such a reputation, but was certainly enhanced by Sir Walter Scott's tales about him. Even though he was considered an outlaw in his time, he lived until 1734 and died peacefully, and is buried with his family in the churchyard at Balquihidder. Someone has added the inscription to his grave: "MacGregor Despite Them"! Many of the old chieftains of the MacGregor Clan (Children of the Mist) are buried at the island cemetary of Inchcailloch. The burial of a chief was a light hearted event which called for a good dram to be taken before setting out on the boats to carry the deceased and mourners to the island cemetery, and of course, another dram or so had to be taken if the weather turned bad, and in order to achieve a safe landfall. Many bodies were lost overboard or left unburied while the company grew merry together.

Sir Evan MacGregor was the chief in 1822 and played a major part in the visit of King George IV to Scotland that year, while he and his clansmen guarded the honours of Scotland, no longer considered as outlaws. He had the honour of proposing the toast to the "chief of chiefs" King George, at the royal banquet n Edinburgh.

The MacGregor clan motto is "S rioghal mo dhream" which translates to "My race is royal", referring to the claim that they descended from Griogar, son of Alpin, king of Dalriada. The name MacGregor is the 82nd most common in Scotland, according to the General Register Office, in 1995.

Other surnames which are regarded as septs or sub-branches of the MacGregor clan included Black, Boweres, Bowmaker, Brewer, Caird, Comrie, Dochart, Gregorson, Gergory, Greig, Grier, Greer, Grigor, Gruer, Leckie, Lecky, MacAdam, MacAra, MacConachie, MacGrewar, MacGruder, MacGruter, MacLeister, MacNee, MacNeish, MacNie, MacNish, MacPetrie, Malloch, Neish, Nish, Peterkin, Petrie, Skinner, Stringer, White and Whyte.

The genealogy of the MacGregors began with Gegor MacAlpine who was born before 855 A.D. in Dundurn, Starhearn, Scotland. His wife's name is unknown, but they have three sons, including Dougallus MacGregor, born about 850, who married Spontana before 880 in Ireland, and they had three sons including Constantine MacGregor, born before 900 in Scotland. He married Malvina MacAlpin, daughter of Donald MacAlpin, and they had one son, Gregor De Brattich MacGregor, who was born about 930 in Scotland. He married Dorvigelda, daughter of Constantine, King of Scotland, and they had two sons, including Sir John MacGregor, born before 962 in Scotland. He married Alpina, daughter of Angus, and they had one son, Gregor MacGregor, born before 1005 A.D. in Scotland. Gregor married a Campbell girl, daughter of Gillespie Campbell, and they had three sons, including Malcolm MacGregor. Malcolm was born before 1110 in Scotland and died their in 1164. He married Marjory Lindsay before 1165 in Scotland, the daughter of Lord Lindsay William, and they had three sons, the most prominent of whom was William MacGregor. William was born before 1165 in Scotland. He married Margaret Lindsay, daughter of William Lindsay and Marjorie Galithly. They had three sons, including Gregor MacGregor, born before 1239, who married Marian Fileon De Gilchrist, and they had one son, Malcolm Dominus MacGregor. He was born before 1300 and died in 1374. He married Mary MacAlpin, daughter of Malise MacAlpin, and they had two sons, including Gilbert Grierson (notice the name change). Gilbert was born in 1353 in Dumfrieshire, Scotland, and he died on April 9, 1425 in Lag, Dumfrieshire, Scotland. He had married Janet Glendening, the daughter of Simon Glendening and Mary Douglas. Gilbert and Janet had three sons, the most prominent of which was Gilbert Grierson, born about 1397 in Dumfrieshire, Scotland. He died Dec. 2, 1444 in Lag, Scotland. He had married Isabella De KirkPatrick on Nov. 14, 1412 in Rock Hall, Dumfrieshire- she was the daughter of Duncan De KilPatrick. They had five sons, the oldest was Vedast Grierson, born before 1415 at Lag, he died about 1487. Vedast married Margaret Glenowyn, daughter of William De Dalrymple and Agnes Kennedy. Vedast and Margaret had four sons, the oldest was Roger Grierson, born in 1439 in Dumfrieshire, Scotland, died June, 1488 in Sauchleburn, Scotland. Roger married Isabella Gordoun in 1473 in Dumfrieshire and they had four sons, the oldest was Roger Grierson, born after 1474 in Dumfriedshire, he died September 9, 1513, killed at Flodden Field, Branxton, North Umberland, England. He had married Janet Jane Douglas, the daugher of James Douglas and Janet Scott. She was born about 1467 in Drumlanrig, Dumfrieshire, Scotland. They had five children, the oldest of whom was John Grierson, born in 1490 in Dumfrieshire, he died there before July, 1559. He married Nichola Herys about March 12, 1529, but she died before 1548 and he then married Egidia Kennedy, born before 1505 in Cullean, Ayrshire, England, daughter of John Kennedy and Jane Stewart. They had six children, the oldest son was Rober Grierson, born about 1520 in Dumfrieshire, Scotland, he died in August, 1593 in Scotland. Rober married first, Helena Douglas on April 21, 1566 in Dumfrieshire, she was the daughter of James Douglas, and Helena was born before 1550 in Dumfrieshire. Rober and Helena had three children, the oldest son was William Grierson, born between 1567 and 1595 in Dumfrieshire, he died on Jan. 21, 1629 in Lag. William married Nichola Maxwell on May 4, 1593 in Dumfrieshire, she was the daughter of John Maxwell and Agnes Herries, and Nichola was born in 1578 in Scotland. Their oldest son was James Grierson, born about 1604 in Capenoch, Dumfrieshire, he died in 1666 in Dumfrieshire. He had married Mary Browne in 1626, she the daughter of John Browne and Sara Hope. She was born about 1604 in Glen Cairn, Dumfriesire, and she died in 1661. James and Mary had five children, the oldest was John James Greer, born about 1627 in Lag, he died in 1688 after having immigrated to Gunpowder River, Baltimore County, Maryland. John had married Anne Taylor on Nov. 2, 1675 in Baltimore, Maryland, she was the daughter of Arthur Taylor and Margaret Hill, and she was born in 1660 in Baltimore and died May 13, 1716 in Baltimore. Their only son was John G. Greer, who was born in 1688 at Gunpowder River, Baltimore, Maryland, he died Sept. 14, 1750 in Baltimore. He had married Sarah Day on March 4, 1704, she was born in 1686, the daughter of Nicholas Day and Sarah Cox. Sarah Day Greer died in 1758 in Joppo, Baltimore, Maryland, and John remarried to Chloe Jones, but they had no chldren. John and Sarah had ten children, the first born was John Greer Jr., born in 1714 at Gunpowder River, he died in May, 1782 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. John Jr. married Nancy Ann Walker in 1736 in North Carolina and they emigrated to Wilkes County, N.C. Nancy was born in 1716 in Gunpowder River and she died in 1804 in Wilkes County, N.C. They had four children, the oldest was Aquilla Greer, born July 29, 1737 at Gunpowder River, he died after April 8, 1790 in Greene County, Georgia. Aquilla married Elizabeth Hannah Riley about 1762, she was born about 1740. Aquilla and Elizabeth had eleven children, including Sarah Greer, born in 1762. Sarah married David Evans, he was born in 1760 in Botatourt County, Virginia, and Sarah and David had one son named Nathaniel Evans, born July 27, 1785 in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, he died in 1846 in Parke County, Indiana.

Besides Rob Roy, other famous MacGregors in world history include Ewan McGregor, the well-known Scottish actor who played the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace; Sir Ian MacGregor (1912-1988) the chairman of British Steel Corporation; Jimmy Macgregor, half of a well-known folk singing froup very popular in Great Britain in the 1960's; John McGregor was a Scotsman who died alongside Davy Crockett at the Alamo, and played his bagpipes during lulls in the battle; John MacGregor almost singlehandedly brought the sport of canoeing to Great Britain in the late 1800's; Sir Alexander S.M. McGregor was the president of the Scottish Scoiety of Medical Officers of Health from 1941 to 1942; Andrew McGregor was a senior Air Staff Officer during WW2; Sir Gregor McGregor was a General in the Venezuelan army under Simon Bolivar; Sir James McGregor was a surgeon and soldier, Surgeon General under the Duke of Wellington, known as the 'father of the Royal Army Medical Corps.'.

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