McCluskey
An Irish surname usually linked to Mac Closcaigh, meaning “son of Closach,” a nickname of uncertain sense.
The #5,518 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,999 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McCluskey is an anglicized form of an Irish Gaelic surname commonly given as Mac Closcaigh or a close variant. The first element, Mac, means “son of,” while the second part is generally treated as a personal name or nickname, Closach/Closcaigh, whose exact sense is not firmly settled in the older literature. In practice, the name has several spellings that reflect different English renderings of the same Irish original.
History
The surname is especially associated with Ireland, and Woulfe lists a number of anglicized spellings beside it, including MacCloskey, MacCluskey, MacLoskey, and MacLuskey. In English-speaking records the name often appears in simplified forms such as Closkey and Cluskey. The modern family name is also found in Scotland and North America through Irish migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling family is so close-knit that older sources often group McCloskey and McCluskey together as variants of the same underlying Irish name.
From the historical record
“mAC blofCAix), MacCloskey, MacCluskey, MacLoskey, Mac Losky, MacLuskey, Closkey, Cluskey, etc. niAc "DlofCAi^Ae, MacClusker, Clusker ; Cosgrave.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames