McCombs
A patronymic surname likely meaning “son of Combs,” with roots in a Gaelicized form of a place- or byname element.
The #3,882 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,802 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually treated as a patronymic built on the prefix Mac/Mc, meaning “son of,” attached to a name or nickname element rendered in English as Combs or Combes. The historical sources you provided connect McCombs with forms such as MacComish and McComb, suggesting a family-name cluster that may have been reshaped under English spelling influence. In older etymological writing, the final element was sometimes linked to a word meaning “valley,” but that explanation is not secure and is best treated cautiously.
History
McCombs is found in Irish and Scottish surname traditions, with spelling variation common as families moved between Gaelic and English-speaking record systems. The surname is also closely related to McComb and McComb, which often appear as variant spellings or parallel branches. In the United States, McCombs became a stable Anglicized form, though many records still alternate among McComb, McCombs, and MacCombes.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The old surname literature groups McCombs with several look-alike spellings, which means one family line can appear under more than half a dozen forms in historical records.
From the historical record
“triAc CotriAif, MacComish, Mac Combes, MacCombs, Comish, Combes, Homes ; Holmes. triAC torriAif, Holmes. in AC CorriAlcAij;, Tomilty,”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames