McNeill
McNeill means “son of Neill,” a classic Gaelic patronymic surname ultimately tied to the personal name Neil.
The #1,875 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,121 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McNeill comes from Gaelic Mac Nèill / Mac Néill, meaning “son of Neill.” The first element, mac, means “son,” while Neill is a genitive form of the personal name Neil, itself usually connected with the old Gaelic and Irish name Niall. In plain terms, the surname began as a way of identifying a person as the descendant or son of a man named Neil or Niall.
History
The name is well established in both Ireland and Scotland, where Mac/Mc surnames developed as hereditary family names from older patronymic forms. Historical spellings vary widely, including MacNeill, MacNeile, MacNeal, and McNeil, reflecting Gaelic pronunciation and later English spelling habits. It is especially associated with Scottish and Irish families of the same broad Gaelic tradition, and the forms recorded in older sources show that the name was already firmly established by the 15th and 16th centuries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old genealogical and clan sources record McNeill among prominent Gaelic family names, and the spelling often shifted simply because English scribes tried to capture Gaelic sounds in different ways.
From the historical record
“MACNEILL 55 OF BARRA. born April 1, 1790, M.P. for that county, 1847-1852, married in 1827, Mary, only child of Edward Gwatkin, Esq.; issue five sons, and two daughters. The sons are 1 . Francis Edmundt”
— The Scottish Nation, vol. 3