McIntyre
A Scottish and Irish surname meaning “son of the carpenter.”
The #786 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,042 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McIntyre comes from Gaelic Mac an t-Saoir, literally “son of the carpenter” or more broadly “son of the craftsman.” The key element is saor, a word for a carpenter or skilled worker, with the article and sound changes typical of Gaelic. In Irish and Scottish Gaelic usage, the name was often anglicized in several forms, including MacIntyre, MacIntire, and related spellings.
History
The name is associated with a Gaelic sept linked by tradition to Clan Donald in Scotland. Historical forms were often shortened or reshaped in English spelling, producing variants such as McIntier, McIntire, and Teare in some families and regions. The surname has long been established in Scotland and also occurs in Ireland, especially where Gaelic names were adapted into English records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One old clan tradition says the name came from an ancestor who plugged a leak in a boat with his thumb, earning the epithet that later became the family name.
From the historical record
“MACINTYRE. MACINTYRE. Macintyre, the name of a minor sept, called, in Gaelic, Hie clan MMc An T'Saoir. They are a branch of the clan Donald, and their badge is the same as theirs, the common heath. The Gaelic word Saor means a carpenter. Accord- ing to tradition one of the Macdonalds being in a boat at sea, it…”
— The Scottish Nation, vol. 3