Scotland
 

It is possible that the name originated in Scotland but seems more likely to have migrated there from Ireland. The earliest Scottish reference I have found is to James Crevie who was born c1652 in Aberdeen. He married Margaret Milne c1677.

Published in the early 1900s, "The Creevey Papers" detail the letters of Thomas Creevey (1768 - 1838), one time Member of Parliament. It is suggested that his ancestors settled in Ireland but originated from just across the water in Glenluce in Scotland. Interestingly, close to Glenluce is the river Cree on which Creetown is situated. There are certain inconsistencies in this account but if true it may explain the preponderance of Creevys in County Antrim, Northern Ireland contained in the International Genealogical Index.

Name variations

From the 17th century through to the 19th century the main references I have found are to Crevie/Cravie and Creevy. Crevie appears to be regularly interchangeable with Cravie and the name features strongly in the Aberdeen area. As in Ireland, there are Mc... and Mac... variants e.g.  MacCravie, McCravie, MacCrevie, McCrevie, MacCreevey, McCreevey and McCreevy

There are apparent further links to other Scottish names such as that of the McRuvie family.

McRuvie

This rare Scottish name appears in Cellardyke (now part of Anstruther) and also in the Elie-Kilconquhar area in 19th century Fife. Both McRuvie families originated from Campeltown, Kintyre( Argyll) where their name was McIlrevie (sometimes spelled McIlravie or McIlrivie etc). It is possible that these families were related, but there is no known connection in Fife.

The Cellardyke family was usually known as "McCreevey" in the first half of the 19th century (variants McCreevy, McReevie, McRievie); other spellings were McCruivie, McCruive, McRuivie, Ruvie, McAlvrive, McCraivie, McCravey, McGillivray). For short, the family was known as "Ravie" and this name is still sometimes used by older folk in Anstruther.

In the Elie-Kilconquhar family we find McIlrive, McElrave, McElarve, McIlraivie, McRuvie, McRovie, McRievie and McGillivray. By the late 19th century, both families standardised the name to "McRuvie". This confusing variety no doubt reflects the problems encountered by Gaelic-speaking and most probably illiterate individuals trying to transmit their unusual Western Isles names to the parish clerks of Fifeshire.

The name McIlrevie etc (and Gaelic equivalents) occurs in Kintyre at least as early as the 17th century, and it is possible that the name is of some antiquity in the west of Scotland. All these names seem to derive from the Gaelic "MacIlriach" or "Mac + gille + riabhiach" which translates as "the son of the brindled lad". It is very likely Irish in origin. McIlrevie is a separate of clan McDonald.

In the later 19th century, the name McIlrevie tended to drop out of currency in west Scotland, often being shortened to Revie, but also transformed into Creevey, Crevie, Cravie, McGrevey, McRevie, etc.These names can be found in late 19th century Greenock, the Glasgow area, and Aberdeen. In America it often changed to names like McCrae, which was probably a result of spelling rather than pronunciation.

The name is pronounced as if "McCroovie" by present-day family members in Scotland, Canada and Australia. This preserves the old strong "C", but departs from the old "ee" pronunciation.

(Source: P.M. Australia)