McMichael
A Scottish and Irish Gaelic surname meaning “son of Michael.”
The #4,785 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,768 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McMichael is a patronymic surname built from Gaelic Mac, meaning “son,” plus the personal name Michael. The name therefore means “son of Michael,” with Michael itself ultimately coming from the Hebrew question “Who is like God?”. In Gaelic naming practice, the prefix appears in several spellings, including Mac and Mc.
History
The surname is found in both Scotland and Ireland, where it developed as an anglicized form of Gaelic patronymic naming. The historical spellings in older sources show several graphic variants, which is typical for names recorded before spelling was standardized. In modern English usage, McMichael is the most familiar form, while MacMichael also appears.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Mc- and Mac- are both used to represent the same Gaelic prefix, records may show the same family under several spellings across different generations.
From the historical record
“nock. triAC 510IIA iriicil, MacMichael, MacMeel, Michael, Mitchell, etc. triAC 5;iollAtriin," Macllveen, MacElveen, MacKilveen.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames