Ewan J. Innes, MA(Hons Scot. Hist.) FSA Scot

1. Scottish Names Mc For Mac Os
2. Is Mc Scottish Or Irish
3. Scottish Names Mac Or Mc
4. Mc Vs Mac Irish Or Scottish
5. Is Mc Or Mac Scottish
6. Scottish Names Mc For Mac Computers
7. Scottish Mac Names

© 1998

Synopsis: This essay describes the reason why other than nineteenth century migration, there are no O' surnames in Scotland, but there are Mac surnames in Ireland. This debunks the myth that Mac is Scottish and Mc is Irish.

Please see my copyright policy if you wish to cite any part of this essay.

Names that start with Mac or Mc are Irish or Scottish patronymics designating 'son of.' Of course, many of the most popular Mac names today, such as Mackenzie and McKenna, are usually given to girls. But there are a raft of lesser-used Mac names that work well for boys and lead to the adorable short form Mac. M ac, Gaelic for 'son', is the most common element of Scottish and Irish surnames. In both countries, Mc is always an abbreviation of Mac. There is absolutely no truth to the American myth at Mac is Scottish and Mc is Irish. Mac used to be abbreviated M' although this spelling is not common now. At times, all three versions can be seen in an.

Firstly, it is complete and utter nonsense that Mac and Mc indicate Scottish or Irish origins. They are both EXACTLY the same word, the Mc is actually the abbreviated form of Mac (and sometimes meic) and was usually written M'c (sometimes even M') with the apostrophe indicating that the name has been abbreviated (there are many other characters indicating abbreviation including two dots under the c).

There is however one distinction you can make as far as differentiating between a name being Scottish or Irish. If it is an O' name it is always Irish (those in Scotland are mostly nineteenth century emigrations), but if it is a mac, mc or other variation it can be both Scottish or Irish!

The background:

Kings & Kindreds

Irish legal tracts of the fifth century recognise 3 grades of kingship:

rí túathe - ruler of kindred

rí túath - Overlord of other kindreds

- also ruire (ro aire)

rí ruirech - king of overkings

- also rí cóicid - king of a fifth (e.g.. king of Munster)

The above grades are purely legal, in the Irish annals they are simply described as rí - you were supposed to know as you read the annal which grade a particular king belonged to. There was no legal office of ard rí (high king), this was a fiction of tenth and eleventh century historians trying to place the Úi Néill as overlords of everybody.

What's In A Name

This early society was anything but static, new kindreds rose as old ones vanished in name. The names given to kindreds were always in two parts, with the first always denoting kinship.

In the early historical period (c.AD400) a new term comes into use for kindred naming Úi. This is in turn replaced by cenél and, around the tenth century in Ireland, by clann (a little later in Scotland - the first being MacDuff in the eleventh century). The sixteenth century saw this replaced in both Ireland and Scotland by cinneadh.

The second element of a kindred name was always an historical figure and almost always male.

The Úi Néill An Example In Naming Patterns.

Around AD400, the Dàl Cuinn (kindred of Conn) led by Niall Noigiallach (Niall of the nine hostages) began to expand at a rapid rate, as they do so they get a new name the Úi Néill.

The Úi Néill begin to move north and takeover much of northern and middle Ireland. The northern and southern branches then split into new kindreds all said to be named after sons of Niall and each one representing a tuath with a king. As a group one will be overking of the rest and be king of the northern or southern Úi Néill. The king of the northern or southern Úi Néill would also be king of the whole Úi Néill kindred.

What does the term Cenél Eogain mean?

Very few of them at the beginning of the sixth century can be direct descendents of Eogain, therefore they were people from the kindred which Eogain and family ruled over.

What happens to the people into whose territory they expand?

In many cases, they become so weak that they are absorbed into the incoming kindred, in others they remain in being but are subordinated to the incoming kindred. For instance the Airginalla were a subordinate kindred under the northern Úi Néill and were known as the 'hostage givers'. Some of the kindreds within the Airginalla became professional soldiers, indeed one the Úi macc-Uais were the main fighting arm of the Úi Néill.

So what has this to do with Scotland?

The kingdom of Dàl Riata established by the expansion from the kingdom of Dàl Riata on the Ulster coast across to the west coast of Scotland around the 500s, consisted of three kindreds:

Cenél nGabrain (Gabrain died in 558)

Cenél Loairn

Cenél nOengusa

As you can see there were no Úi kindreds, therefore the expansion of Dàl Riata into Scotland came after the Cenél naming pattern became productive.

Addressing your Rí

Around the tenth century there were two forms of address for the rí.

The first structured like Donald son of X son of X in Gaelic was Donald ua Donald. The ua would later become O' in Ireland.

The alternative form of ua was Donald mac meic Donald or Donald son of the son of Donald. Meic Donald would later became the form of address. Both ways existed in Scotland and Ireland, but this latter was most common in Scotland.

By the twelfth century the following structure is seen in the address of the rí:

The use of surnames came very late to Scotland, because of this, the period where the form O' had been productive was past, and the form mac was used instead.

THIS IS WHY OTHER THAN NINETEENTH CENTURY MIGRATION, THERE ARE NO O' SURNAMES IN SCOTLAND, BUT THERE ARE MAC SURNAMES IN IRELAND.

A list of Irish surnames beginning with Mac (or Mc), from McCann to McSweeney.

MacAuley

Variants: McCauley, McAwley, Cawley,Magawley.

In Irish: Mac Amhalghaidh

Found in: Cork, Fermanagh, Westmeath.

Origin: Gaelic

Mac Amhalghaidh means “son of Auley”, once important Gaelic Lords.

MacAuliffe

In Irish:MacAmhlaoibh

Found in: Cork

Origin: Norse

From the Norse name “Olaf”.

MacBride

Variants: McBride

In Irish: MacGiolla Brighde

Found in: Donegal,

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of the servant of St. Brigid”.

MacCabe

Variants: McCabe

In Irish: Mac Cába.

Found in: Cavan, Leitrim

Origin: Scots-Gaelic

“Caba” means “hat or cap”. The family originally came from Scotland to serve as Gallowglasses (a type of mercenary soldier) to Irish lords. Their name may come from their wearing of distinctive hats.

MacCann

Variants: Canny, McCann

In Irish: MacAnnadh

Found in: Armagh, Ulster

Origin: Gaelic

Related to the O’Neills of Ulster

MacCarthy

Variants: McCarthy

In Irish: MacCarthaigh

Found in: Widespread

Origin: Gaelic

Descendents of Carthac, a 12th century chieftain.

MacCormack

Variants: McCormick

In Irish: MacCormaic

Found in: Widespread

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of Cormac”, not descended from a single Cormac – it was a common name.

MacCullagh

In Irish: Variants: Cully, MacNully

In Irish: Mac Con Uladh

Found in: Antrim, Down, Ulster

Origin: Scots-Gaelic

Means “Son of the hound” Known in Scotland as MacCulloch.

MacDermot

Variants: MacDermott, Kermode.

In Irish: MacDiarmada

Found in: Roscommon, Sligo

Origin: Gaelic

Means “Son of Dermot”. Dermot was a 12th century King of Moylurgh, a place now known as Coolavin, in Sligo.

MacElroy

Variants: McElroy

In Irish: MacGiolla Rua

Found in: Fermanagh, Leitrim

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of the red haired man”.

Scottish Names Mc For Mac Os

MacEvoy

Variants: McAvoy, McEvoy

In Irish: MacGuiollabhuidhe Mac A Buidhe

Found in: Laois, Louth

Origin: Gaelic

May mean “woodsman”; or, “yellow (blonde?) son”.

MacGee

Variants: Magee, MacKee, McKee

In Irish: Mac Aodha

Found in: Antrim, Armagh, Down.

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of Aodh (Hugh)”.

MacGill

Variants: Magill

In Irish: An Ghaill

Found in: Ulster

Origin: Gaelic

MacGinn

Variants: Maginn, McGinn, MacGinne

In Irish: Mac Fhinn

Found in: Armagh, Down, Tyrone

Origin: Gaelic

Means “Finn’s son”or sometimes “son of the foreigner”. A foreigner could also simply mean a stranger.

MacGovern

Variants: MacGowran, McGovern, McGowran

In Irish: Mac Samhrain

Found in: Cavan, Fermanagh, Leitrim

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of Samhradh (summer)”.

McGowan

Variants: Gowan, Smith

In Irish: MacGhabhann

Found in: Cavan, Leitrim, Monaghan, Ulster

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of the smith”. The same origin as the English name Smith, to which is was sometime anglicised.

MacGrath

Variants: Magraw, MacGraw, Magrath, McGrath, McGraw.

In Irish: MacRaith

Found in: Clare, Donegal, Fermanagh, Limerick. Widespread.

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of Raith”; raith also means “wealth”, so it may mean “son of the wealthy man”.

MacHugh

Variants: MacCoy, McKee, Hughes, MacKay, McHugh, Hewson

In Irish: MacAoda

Found in: Donegal, Fermanagh, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo

Origin: Gaelic

Is Mc Scottish Or Irish

Means “son of Hugh”, so is a related name to McGee, above.

MacInerney

Variants: Macnairney, Mcnerney, McInerney

In Irish: Mac An Airchinnigh

Found in: West of Ireland

Origin: Gaelic

Comes from the old name MacErenagh which means “son of the lord”. Lord as in nobleman, not God.

MacKenna

In Irish: MacCionaoda

Found in: Cavan, Monaghan, Ulster.

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of Cionaoid”.

MacKeown

Variants: McKown, McKeon, MacKowen.

In Irish: MacEoghan

Origin: Gaelic

“Eo” means “Yew Tree”, but may not be relevant. Eoghan is one of several Irish versions of John, so it may just mean “Eoghan’s son”.

MacLoughlin

Variants: O’Loghlen, MacLaughlin, McLaughlin

In Irish: MacLochlainn

Found in: Clare, Derry, Donegal, Meath.

Origin: Gaelic

MacMahon

Variants: Mahon, McMahon, Mohan, Vaughn

In Irish: , Mac Mathghamhna

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of a bear”, presumably a large or strong man.

MacManus

In Irish: MacMaghnuis

Found in: Fermanagh, Roscommon

Origin: Norse

Derived from the Norse or Viking name Magnus.

MacNally

Variants: McNally, Macannally, Nally

In Irish: Mac an Fhailghigh

Found in: Armagh, Mayo, Monaghan.

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of the poor man”.

MacNamara

Variants: McNamara

In Irish: MacNamara

Found in: Clare, Limerick

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of the sea hound”.

MacNulty

Variants: McNulty, Nulty

In Irish: Mac An Ultaigh

Found in: Mayo, Ulster

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of Ulster”.

MacQuaid

Variants: McQuaid, McQuaide, MacWade, McWade

In Irish: Mac Uaid

Found in: Ulster

Scottish Names Mac Or Mc

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of Uaid (Walter)”.

MacQuillan

Variants: McQuillan

In Irish: MacCoilin or MacUighlilin

Mc Vs Mac Irish Or Scottish

Found in: Ulster

Origin: Gaelic

Means “son of little Hugh” and refers to Hugeli de Mandeville a Norman-Welsh lord who arrived in Ireland in the 12th century.

MacSweeney

Is Mc Or Mac Scottish

Variants: MacSwiney, Sweeney, Sweeny

Scottish Names Mc For Mac Computers

Found in: Cork, Donegal.

Scottish Mac Names

Origin: Gaelic, Scots Gaelic

Means “son of the pleasant man”. The Donegal branch are of Scots Gaelic origin.