MacMillan
An Anglicized Gaelic surname meaning “son of the bald one.”
The #6,041 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,280 Americans shares it.
Etymology
MacMillan is from Gaelic Mac Mhaoláin, meaning “son of Maolán.” The personal name Maolán comes from maol, a word meaning “bald,” but also used in older Gaelic for a tonsured or devoted person, so the name is often glossed more simply as “son of the bald one.” In older surname literature the form is sometimes treated as a patronymic from a nickname rather than a straightforward occupational or locational name.
History
The name is well established in Scotland, especially in the Highlands and in areas of Gaelic settlement. It appears in many spellings in older records, including MacMillan, MacMillen, and McMillan, and later spread widely through Scottish emigration. The modern publishing house name is a separate company name, not a surname origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books often explain it as “son of the bald gilly,” reflecting the nickname-like sense of the Gaelic root.
From the historical record
“Mullen, MacMullin, Mac Mullon,MacMillan, MacMillen, MacBlain, Mullin, Mullins, &c. rriAc niAolcoltiim, Malcolmson,”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames