McDonald
A Scottish and Irish surname meaning “son of Donald,” long associated with the powerful Clan Donald of the western Highlands and islands.
The #143 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,711 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McDonald comes from Gaelic Mac Domhnaill, meaning “son of Donald.” The personal name Domhnall is usually understood as “world ruler” or “ruler of the world,” from old Gaelic elements often glossed that way in surname works. In English spelling, Mac and Mc are both found, and the name may appear as MacDonald, McDonald, or Macdonnell.
History
The name is especially tied to Clan Donald, one of the great Highland clans of Scotland, whose chiefs traced their line back to Somerled. It spread widely through Scotland and later to Ireland and the wider English-speaking world, where it became common in both traditional Mac- and Mc- forms. Modern usage reflects both Highland Scottish heritage and later migration from Scotland and Ireland.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Historical surname writers often treated MacDonald as a classic example of a clan surname, because the name is both a family name and the name of a major Highland lordship.
From the historical record
“first place. Smith being third a long way behind. Inverness still more revolutionises Lowland statistics. Every 33rd person there is a Fraser, every 43rd a Macdonald, every 48th & Mackenzie. Smith is quite uncommon at 1 in 270. In Ayr, again. Smith has most re- sponders, with 1 in 80. Smith and Maxwell are…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)