The MacNeills originate from Scotland. The MacNeill name is linked to the Scottish clan of the same name and is associated with the Outer Hebrides island of Barra, and the Inner Hebrides islands of Colonsay and Gigha. Clan MacNeill has a long and distinguished history. Recent genealogy studies have shown that Clan MacNeill is of Norse-Gael descent, rather than Irish as was once believed.
John MacNeill may refer to:
MacLeod, McLeod and Macleod are surnames in the English language. The names are anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic MacLeòid, meaning "son of Leòd", derived from the Old Norse Liótr ("ugly").
Clan MacNeil, also known in Scotland as Clan Niall, is a highland Scottish clan of Irish origin. According to their early genealogies and some sources they're descended from Eógan mac Néill and Niall of the Nine Hostages. The clan is particularly associated with the Outer Hebridean island of Barra. The early history of Clan MacNeil is obscure, however despite this the clan claims to descend from the legendary Irish King Niall of the Nine Hostages, who is counted as the 1st Clan Chief, the current Clan Chief being the 47th. The clan itself takes its name from a Niall who lived in the 13th or early 14th century, and who belonged to the same dynastic family of Cowal and Knapdale as the ancestors of the Lamonts, MacEwens of Otter, Maclachlans, and the MacSweens. While the clan is centred in Barra in the Outer Hebrides, there is a branch of the clan in Argyll (McNeill/MacNeill) that some historians have speculated was more senior in line, or possibly even unrelated. However, according to Scots law the current chief of Clan MacNeil is the chief of all MacNeil(l)s.
MacLean, also spelt Maclean and McLean, is a Scottish Gaelic surname Mac Gille Eathain, or, Mac Giolla Eóin in Irish Gaelic), Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John). The clan surname is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Gille Eathain", a patronymic meaning "son of Gillean". Gillean means "the Servant of [Saint] John [the Baptist]"), named for Gilleathain na Tuaidh, known as "Gillian of the Battleaxe", a famous 5th century warrior.
Neil is a masculine name of Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion". As a surname, Neil is traced back to Niall of the Nine Hostages who was an Irish king and eponymous ancestor of the Uí Néill and MacNeil kindred. Most authorities cite the meaning of Neil in the context of a surname as meaning "champion".
Murray is both a Scottish and an Irish surname with two distinct respective etymologies. The Scottish version is a common variation of the word Moray, an anglicisation of the Medieval Gaelic word Muireb ; the b here was pronounced as v, hence the Latinization to Moravia. These names denote the district on the south shore of the Moray Firth, in Scotland. Murray is a direct transliteration of how Scottish people pronounce the word Moray. The Murray spelling is not used for the geographical area, which is Moray, but it became the commonest form of the surname, especially among Scottish emigrants, to the extent that the surname Murray is now much more common than the original surname Moray. See also Clan Murray.
MacNeil can have a number of different meanings and spellings:
McCann is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Cana meaning "son of Cana". The Irish given name Cana literally means "cub", specifically alluding to a "wolf cub". The Mac Cana were a Gaelic Irish clan who held the lands of Clancann and Clanbrassil, together known as Oneilland, in what is now northern County Armagh. The surname is strongly associated with that part of Ulster.
Neill is an Irish surname, and may refer to
McDuffie or MacDuffie is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin. McDuffie/MacDuffie is an Anglicization of the Gaelic Mac Duibhshíthe. The Gaelic name is composed of two elements; dubh ("black") + síth ("peace"). The name is sometimes shortened to McPhee or McFee. Notable people with the surname include:
McGowan is an Irish and Scottish surname. It is an Anglicization of the Irish Mac Gabhann and Scottish Mac Gobhann, both of which mean 'son of (the) smith'. Belonging to the Uí Echach Cobo, located in modern-day western County Down, Ulster, they were of the same stock as the McGuinness clan.
McNeill is a Scottish and Irish surname. The name McNeill is often associated with the islands of Gigha and Colonsay. The name is considered a sub-sept of Clan MacNeill, which is historically associated with the island of Barra in the outer Hebrides. The Irish and Scottish Gaelic patronymic meaning of McNeill is 'Son of Neil'. The annals of ulster claim Lóegaire mac Néill as King of Tara or High King of Ireland. The name Neil or Neill derives from the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion" As a surname, Neil is traced back to Niall of the Nine Hostages who was an Irish king and eponymous ancestor of the Uí Néill and MacNeil kindred. Most authorities cite the meaning of Neil in the context of a surname as meaning "champion".
Fraser is a Scottish surname, connected to the Clans Fraser and Fraser of Lovat. It is most commonly found in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
McNeal is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
MacNeille or McNeile may refer to:
McNeil or MacNeil is a Scottish surname of Irish origin and that surname is closely related to the Gaelic speaking Isle of Barra in the Hebrides. Notable people with the surname include:
Robert MacNeil is a Canadian-American novelist and television news anchor and journalist.
Montgomery is a toponymic surname derived from Saint-Germain-de-Montgommery and Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery in Normandy, France.
Mackenzie, MacKenzie and McKenzie are alternative spellings of a Scottish surname relating to Clan Mackenzie. It was originally written MacKenȝie and pronounced in Scots, with the "z" representing the old Middle Scots letter, "ȝ" yogh. This is an anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic MacCoinnich, which is a patronymic form of the personal name Coinneach, anglicized as Kenneth. The personal name means "handsome".
Houston is a surname of Scottish origin. In the mountains of Scotland's west coast and on the Hebrides islands, the ancestors of the Houston family were born. Clan Houston comes from the medieval Scottish given name Hugh. Houston is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. In general, patronyms were derived from either the first name of the father of the bearer, or from the names of famous religious and secular figures. By and large, surnames descending from one's father's name were the most common. The surname also came from the place called Houston, Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. In Old English, the name Houston, meant the settlement belonging to Hugh.