If your surname is MacGregor, Gregor or Gregg (there are actually 120 MacGregor septs, so you may well be part of the Clan and not even know it!), then you're in good company so check out our round up of some of your most famous namesakes!
Rob Roy MacGregor
Possibly the best well known of all the MacGregors is Robert MacGregor, who acquired the name “Roy” as a result of his curly red hair. Considered one of Scotland’s most notable and dynamic historical figures – our better version of Robin Hood! – Rob Roy was born in 1671 during a period in which his clan were known as the “Wild MacGregors.” A younger son of Macgregor of Glengyle, he was forced to assume his mother’s name of Campbell due to the restrictions placed on the MacGregor name at the time of his birth.
Rob Roy was a thorn in the government’s side for most of his life. At the age of 18, he joined his father and participated in the Jacobite rising and when, in 1715, the Stuart flag was raised once more, he again attached himself to the Jacobite cause and fought at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. Interestingly, when in July 1717 Parliament passed the Indemnity Act that effectively pardoned those who took part in the Jacobite risings of 1715, Rob Roy and the Clan Gregor were specifically excluded.
After a period trying his hand as a respected cattleman, Rob Roy was branded an outlaw after his Chief Herder disappeared with a large amount of money and forced him to default on a loan. He and his family were evicted and his lands were seized by the 1st Duke of Montrose. As a result, Rob Roy waged a private blood feud against the Duke, until he was forced to surrender in 1722. He was imprisoned, but eventually pardoned. It has been claimed that this pardon coincided with the publication of the 1723 novel “The Highland Rogue,” which offered a fictionalised account of Rob’s life and made him something of a legend!
Rob Roy died in 1734 and is buried at Balquhider. His grave bears the words “MacGregor Despite Them,” below the clan crest.
Rob Roy’s reputation was further advanced after his death when Sir Walter Scott published the novel “Rob Roy,” part of his Waverley series, which offered a fictionalised, sensationalised account of his life. Further homages to this famous MacGregor have come in the form of the poem “Rob Roy’s Grave,” by William Wordsworth, as well as a series of films based on his life, including the 1995 “Rob Roy” which starred Liam Neeson as the title character.
Ewan MacGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. To some he is best known as heroin addict Mark Renton in Danny Boyle’s 1996 “Trainspotting,” and to others as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He also appeared alongside Nicole Kidman in the 2001 film “Moulin Rouge!”, and made his directorial debut with “American Pastoral” (2016), in which he also starred. A motorcyclist since his youth, McGregor’s international trips from London to New York, John O’Groats to Cape Town, and Patagonia to California with his friend Charley Boorman featured in TV series broadcast by the BBC and Apple TV+. He is heavily involved in charity work and has been actively supporting the work of UNICEF UK since 2004. In 2018, McGregor won a Golden Globe for his work in the TV series Fargo, and he was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Queen’s New Year Honours List for his services to drama and charity. Born in Perth and raised in Crieff, McGregor’s parents were both teachers. Now based between London and LA, he has been an American citizen since 2016. Ewan is not the only talented performer in his branch of the clan – his daughter Clara McGregor is also an actor, scriptwriter and model.
Neil MacGregor
Robert Neil MacGregor is an art historian and museum director, who was the Director of the British Museum from 2002-2015 and the founding director of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin. Born in Glasgow, he studied at The Glasgow Academy, before studying languages at New College, Oxford. Further studies in law and art history led him to the position of Director of London’s National Gallery, which he held until 2002. In 2010, MacGregor presented a series on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service entitled “A History of the World in 100 Objects” which told the story of global civilisations from prehistory to the present using objects drawn from the collections of the British Museum. The radio series was so popular that it was subsequently adapted into a popular book of the same names. Objects selected to tell the story of the world included the Lewis Chessmen, 12th century ivory chess pieces which were found on the Isle of Lewis in 1831. Inspired by MacGregor’s approach exploring history, in 2017 VisitScotland produced their own guide to the history of Scotland in 25 objects, which included Sir Walter Scott’s desk, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s travelling canteen, and the world’s oldest football.
Conor MacGregor
Conor McGregor is an Irish professional Mixed Martial Artist – a former UFC champion and professional boxer. McGregor was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2021, earning a reported $180 million. McGregor is clearly proud of his family name, as he sports a large tattoo of the word “McGregor” on his ribs.
John MacGregor
John MacGregor was a Scottish-Canadian solider who was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth. He is one of only 81 Canadians to have earned this honour. MacGregor was born near Nairn, Scotland in 1889 but moved to Canada at the age of 20. He was 29 years old and temporary captain in the 2nd Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles, Canadian Expeditionary Force, when he was awarded the VC for bravery during the Battle of the Canal du Nord. He led his company under intense fire and, although wounded, located and put out of action several enemy machine-guns. Despite his injury, he reorganised his command and continued the advance. MacGregor also served in WW2. His VC and other medals are now on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario.
Gregor MacGregor
General Gregor MacGregor was a Scottish solider, adventurer and con artist – and, as this suggests, had a very exciting life. MacGregor’s early life was relatively typical of a member of the clan in the late 18th century – born in the family ancestral home of Glengyle, he was the son of an East India Company sea captain and the great great nephew of the famous Rob Roy. He joined the British Army at age 16, which took him around the world and gave him a taste for the adventure that would come later in his life.
What makes Gregor’s life remarkable when compared to other men of his time is what came after a period spent in South America. Whilst there, he presented himself as the well-connected “Sir Gregor.” In 1821, MacGregor returned to Europe and managed to persuade hundreds of investors to purchase government bonds and land certificates in a fictional American territory called “Poyais,” which he claimed to rule as chief. He was obviously very persuasive, because in 1822-3, 250 people emigrated from Britain to MacGregor’s invented country, only to find nothing more than an untouched jungle when they arrived. Unbelievably, MacGregor then tried to run the same con on a new set of investors, this time in France. MacGregor managed to avoid prosecution and spent the rest of his life living as a hero in Venezuela – when he died, he was buried with full military honours in Caracas Cathedral. The part of today’s Honduras that was supposedly called “Poyais” remains undeveloped; there is no mention of Gregor MacGregor on the clan memorial stones at the MacGregor graveyard near Loch Katrine.
Mr McGregor
Whilst the life of Gregor McGregor might sound stranger than fiction, our final famous McGregor is, in fact, fictional. Mr McGregor and his wife will be familiar to anyone who has ever read, or watched, the story of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. It is Mr McGregor who tries to chase Peter and his siblings out of his garden, and who we are told is responsible for cooking Peter’s father in a pie! If you’re tempted to follow in his footsteps, you will find several websites offering recipes for “Mr McGregor’s rabbit pie.”
Well there you have it, our list of the most famous MacGregor's! Is there anyone you feel we have missed from our list? Get in touch and let us know your favourite MacGregor.
