Macleod Family Tree research resources
Delve into the history of the Macleod Genealogy using the resources below. We hope you find these sites useful whilst you are researching your Family History !
 | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 4229 people with the Macleod surname? In that year Macleod was ranked number 1003 for popularity in the UK. |
"The son of Leod. The family are descended from Malcolm, son of Termed Macleod, temp. David II. "(The origin and signification of Scottish surnames. Clifford Stanley Sims, 1862)
Macleod records on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out your Macleod family tree. A vast range of data is available to search ranging from census records, births, deaths and marriages, military records and immigration records to name but a few. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for the Macleod family. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for the Macleod family. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for the Macleod family. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for the Macleod family. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for the Macleod family. |
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Historical References
"MACLEOD. Gaelic MacLedid, 'son of Ledd,' from a Norse name Ljdtr (r silent) or Lj6t, 'ugly,' but evidently a curtailed form of some doublestemmed name of which Ljotr was the first element, probably Lj6t-ulf, ugly wolf.' There was a Ljotr, a companion of Arnfinn, brother of Anakoll, a viking of the Hebrides (Ork. Saga, c. 101). The fact that the Macleods of Cadboll and the Macleods of Lewis quarter the three legs of Man (trie cassyn in Manx) and use the same motto, Quocunque jeceris stabit, does not necessarily point to a connection between them and the Norwegian kings of Man. Such heraldic assumptions were by no means uncommon in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. "The Macleods," as Stodart says, "have a pretension to descend from the old Lords of the Isle of Man, and began apparently early in the eighteenth century to add the arms of Man to their coat (Stodurt, a, p. 41)." Gillandres MacLeod on a perambulation of marches, 1227 (APS., I, p. 91). Torquil M'Lcoid de Leohus witnessed a grant of lands in Badenoch, 1338 (SCM., iv, p. 126). Gilbert or Gilbreid McGloid, tenant in Tiree, 1541 (ER., xvn, p. 614). Murdow McCloyd made an attack on the galley of the laird of Balcomie, one of the Fife adventurers in the Hebrides in 1600 (RFC., xiv, p. oodii). There are three branches of Macleod: Macleod of Macleod, in Gaelic MacLedid; Macleod of Dunvegan, Gaelic Siol Thormald; Macleod of the Lewis, Gaelic Slol Thorcuil. The Rev. Alexander Macleod (1774 41838), preacher and author in New York, bom in Mull, was son of Rev. Neil Macleod who entertained Dr. Samuel Johnson during his visit to the island. Thomas Gordon Macleod (1868-1932), governor of South Carolina, was Scottish on both sides. Among Scots descendants in Poland the name has become Machlejd. The following spellings are recorded in 1663: M'Cleod, M'Cloid, M'Glaud, M'Kleod, M'Leud, M"Lewd, M'Loid; Mccleoyd 1633, McCleud 1762, McCloaud 1779, M'Cloide 1559, Macleoad 1655, Maclode 1343, Makkloud 1770, Ma Keloid (of Harris) 1623, M'Loyd 1443, M'Loyde 1436, M'clode 1539, Makcloid 1515. See Amendments and additions. MACLEOD. They are divided into two branches: (1) Macleod of Dunvegan (and Harris), now "Macleod of Macleod," descended from Tonnod; and (2) Macleod of the Lewes, of which the principal branches are Assynt and Rasaay, descended from Torquil. Of these, Macleod of Dunvegan alone holds land in Scotland. MACLEOD. They are divided into two branches: (1) Macleod of Dunvegan (and Harris), now "Macleod of Macleod," descended from Tonnod; and (2) Macleod of the Lewes, of which the principal branches are Assynt and Rasaay, descended from Torquil. Of these, Macleod of Dunvegan alone holds land in Scotland. "(The surnames of Scotland. George Fraser Black, 1866-1948)
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. A DNA test can sometimes help to make a link to a particular family name if you find you share common DNA with people who have the same or similar surnames as each other. If you are lucky then you may get a match within a few generations and discover some Macleod ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Macleod Tree?
Visit our Macleod DNA page to find out more.
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for the Macleod Family History
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Macleod Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources listed below it will be possible to locate a birth record and, from that record, a birth certificate may be obtainable which is likely to list the names of the parents, therefore taking you back another generation. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Macleod family tree.
Search Macleod Parish Records at Find My Past.
Investigate the UK registered births, marriages and deaths for the Macleod family name using the FreeBMD database.
Check out Genealogy Bank for Macleod family records.
Look at MyHeritage for Macleod family data.
Study the LDS Database for records of the Macleod family.
Research the Macleod surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Macleod Military records.
| Did you know that there are currently 13266 people with the Macleod surname in the UK? Macleod is now ranked number 435 for popularity in the UK. |
Macleod Genealogy Databases
Study WikiTree for user contributed Macleod family records. Collaboration is encouraged so that accuracy of Macleod data can be verified or corrected by other users.
Look at MyTrees for information on the Macleod family and people looking to contact living Macleod relations.
Look at GENi for Macleod family records.
Find your Irish Macleod relatives on findmypast.ie
Macleod Forums
Research the Macleod surname using Genealogy.com forums .
| Did you know that there are currently 9115 people with the Macleod surname in the USA? Macleod is ranked number 154 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Macleod Databases
Investigate the Ellis Island Database for information on the Macleod family. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Use the Surname Map project to look at the current distribution of the Macleod surname in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Romania.
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