McHale
An Irish surname usually understood as a form of Mac Haeil, often taken to mean “son of Hail/Hale,” though the old sources are not fully certain.
The #5,444 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,309 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is Irish Gaelic in form, with the prefix Mac- meaning “son of.” The 19th-century sources quoted here connect it with a Gaelic form written as Mac Haeil/ Mac Hail, which was anglicized as McHale and sometimes grouped with Hale or Hales. The exact personal name behind the second element is not fully secure in these excerpts, so the literal meaning should be treated cautiously.
History
McHale is an Irish surname, especially associated with Connacht and the west of Ireland. It appears in historical surname lists compiled by Irish genealogical writers such as Woulfe and Matheson, and it is still best known today in Ireland and among Irish diaspora communities. The form often appears with the prefix Mc- or Mac- in English records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is common enough in Irish surname studies to appear in statistical lists compiled by Matheson, where McHale is recorded among notable Mayo names.
From the historical record
“MacCarney, Kearney, Carney. tUAC Cei-oi5, MacKeady, Keady. TTlAC Ceile, MacHale. THac Ceic, Kitson. mAcCeiteAtiriAij, Keherny, Ker- ney ; Kearney, rriAc Ceirtn, MacKetian, Mac”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames