McNeil
A Scottish and Irish surname meaning “son of Neil,” from the Gaelic patronymic tradition.
The #1,018 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,984 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McNeil is an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Néill, meaning “son of Niall” or “son of Neil.” The personal name Niall is ancient in Gaelic tradition and is usually linked with ideas such as “champion” or “passionate,” though the exact old sense is debated. In older Scottish Gaelic spelling, the surname can also appear as MacNèill or related forms with Mc/Mac.
History
The name is especially associated with Scotland, particularly the western Highlands and islands, and also appears in Ireland through the same Gaelic naming pattern. Historical records show both McNeil and the closely related McNeill as established spellings in Scotland, with regional concentration noted in places like Argyllshire and Renfrewshire. In modern usage, McNeil and McNeill are often treated as parallel spelling variants of the same surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The poet Hector MacNeil, a notable 18th-century Scottish writer, carried a closely related spelling of the same surname.
From the historical record
“He is also Doctor of Civil Law in the University of Oxford. MACNEIL, Hector, a popular poet and song- writer, descended from a respectable family in the West Highlands, was born October 22, 1746, at Rosebank, on the Esk, near Roslin, Mid Lothian, where his father, at one period an officer in the army, had taken a…”
— The Scottish Nation, vol. 3