Mac Family Tree research resources

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Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 44 people with the Mac surname? In that year Mac was ranked number 3535 for popularity in the UK.

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"MAC (wrongly contracted M', Me) is a Gaelic prefix occurring in Scottish names of Gaelic origin, as Macdonald, Maclean, Macphie, and the like, meaning "son." The word corresponds to son in names of Teutonic origin, as Anderson, Johnson, Watson; to the Fitz Latin filius) in Norman-French names, as Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick; and to Welsh map (etymologically akin to Mac), shortened to 'ap or 'p, as in Ap Richard, whence Prichard (nearly all Welsh names beginning with P, or its mutation B, incorporate ap). It corresponds partly to Irish O, though this rightly means 'descendant," Irish I/a. O or Ua is represented in Scots Gaelic 0 by ogha, 'grandchild,' which in the combination tar ogha, was borrowed by Lowland Scots as ieroe, a 'great-grandchild.' As O is a complete word it should not be followed by the apostrophe as in the English spelling of Irish names. It represents ua, Olr. aue for a prehistoric avas or uvax, where an original p is lost, pavios, which compare with Latin puer for pov-er, Greek pats (for pafis), a boy or son. Ui, the nominative plural of Ua, is used in Irish Gaelic to denote a tribe or territory. In Anglo-Irish books this syllable is frequently written Him, Hui, and more commonly lit/, as in Hy Many for Ui Maine, Hy Fiachrach for Ui Fiachrach, etc. There is only one instance on Scottish ground of this form: Huasvibne for Uasuibne, in 1355 (HP., n, p. 139). (Irish O'Brien, etc., should properly be written without the apostrophe as O Brien, etc.). In the island of Arran, prefixed to surnames, Mac is always pronounced 'ac. Macnicol, now shortened there to Nicol in English, is still 'Ac Riocail in Gaelic (N at the beginning of Gaelic words is almost if not quite pronounced as r). MacMhuirich (Macvurich) is pronounced in Arran 'Ac UM; at Shiskine as 'Ac Fuiri, and is still further curtailed in the English form of the name, Currie. (The Dumfriesshire surname Currie is, however, of territorial origin.) M aunty re suffers at the Southend of Arran much greater curtailment: Iain Mac an-t-Saoir, for example, is shortened to Iain t-Saoir (Tyre). Elsewhere in the West and South Highlands, bordering on the Lowlands, Mac also suffers great abbreviation, the ma disappears and only the c, as the dominant sound, remains. This is of course the case with the Gaelic first. For instance in Argyllshire Iain Mac Comhan (John M'Gille-Comgan really) becomes Iain Comhan in Gaelic, while its English equivalent is Cowan. Similarly lain Cui'ne stands for lain Mac Shuibne, Iain Clabhruinn for John Maclaren, Iain Caidh for John Mackay (where kay contains all that remains of David), Iain Clugais for Maclucas, Iain Coinneach for Mackenzie, Iain Clachuinn for Maclachlan, Iain Ciarmaid for Macdermid, and Anna Cheacharna for Maceacheam ( (Macbain in Northern Chronicle). In Irish Gaelic Mac regularly becomes Mag (gen. Meig) before a vowel, I and r (O'Maille, Annul',- of Ulster, p. 51n). When part of a surname both Mac and Mag are treated alike; fully stressed when no Christian name preceded, unstressed when coming between Christian name and surname. This change of Mac to Mag does not occur in Scots Gaelic with the exception of the dialect of Argyllshire, where Macgee or Magee is from Irish Mag Aodha and not from Scots Gaelic MacAoidh. We have also MagLeod and MagLachlan. In most of the Gaelic area of Scotland, says the late Sir John Rhys, "mac, mic, are pronounced at the present day machc, mikhk, with ch and kh like ch in German doch and ich respectively" (PSAS., xxxii, p. 390). This pronunciation is ancient and appears in early Scots records written mach, as Mach gilherve, 1266 (Inchaffray, p. 85). It is also often so written in the Register of the Priory of St. Andrews (Mach Adam, Machgilish, Mach imbethi, etc.), and was common in Galloway in 1684: Machburny, Machgie, Machknight, etc. (RPS., 3. ser. DC). The ch sound of c is also found preserved in the Aberdeenshire surname Machray (for Macrae). In Irish Gaelic mac sometimes means "boy," as in Maelcoisne mac dall, 'Maelcoisne the blind boy.' As a prefix it also means 'young,' goes adjectivally before many nouns: MacNia, 'young champion' (Macbain), and in Scots Gaelic it often renders an abstract noun into a material one: Mac moUachd, 'son of curse,' 'cursed one;' and the well-known Mac-tatta, 'son of the rock,' i.e. 'echo.' In Mac c is the dominant sound and tends to thrust itself over on to the beginning of the following syllable, hence Mac(k)ay for MacAoidh, Maccaulay for Macaulay, etc. Mac was also assumed by Norsemen and by some Lowland peoples, e.g. MacLeod, MacRerick, and dropped again in some instances, e.g. Cloud (from Macleod), Rerick (from Macrerick), etc. In the Middle Ages, again, the prefix does not in every case prove, where other evidence is wanting, that its bearer is the son of a Gael, for the word has been taken by, or given to some who were of non-Gaelic origin, as MacThorfinn, MacThore, in Cumberland, etc. Noteworthy are the many 'Mac' towns in Ayrshire in the Retours, M'Clogstoune, M' 'Clanochanstoun, M'Ewinstoun, Mlleristoun, M' 'Roriestoun, M"Willangstoun, etc., attesting to a strong Gaelic strain in the population. MAC DOBARCON. Cainnech mac meic Dobarcon made a gift to the monastery of Deer, c. 1130 (Bk. Deer, n, 20). Dobarcv means literally 'water-dog,' and is a name applied to the otter; its modem Gaelic form is dobhran, a 'pet' reduction of the longer name as Zimmer points out (Kuhn's Zeitschrift, xxxn, p. 163 3164). The O'Dobarchon of Thomond are descendants of a man named Dobarchu, who was turned into an otter by S. Brendan as punishment for killing the saint's oxen. The Irish text of the legend is printed by Henri Caldoz from the Book of Lismore in Meluslne, rv, col. 298-299, with English translation by Standish Hayes O'Grady. Maoldobharchon, 'slave of the otter,' bishop of Cille Dara is in record in 706 (AFM., i, p. 308). MAC MHIC AILEIN, "son of the son of Allan," was the name by which the Clanranald Macdonalds were known to Highlanders. "_{(The surnames of Scotland. George Fraser Black, 1866-1948)}

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