 | |
| Language(s) | Gaelic |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Meaning | "Son of Alasdair" |
| Region of origin | Scotland & Ireland |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | This surname has multiple different spellings which are displayed below. |
McAllister is a surname from Scotland and Ireland that originates from the Gaelic name Mac Alasdair, meaning son of Alasdair. Alasdair is the Gaelic form of the first name Alexander.[ citation needed ]
The McAllisters for the greater part owe their ancestry to the Scottish Clan Donald. The name is derived from the personal name Alexander and is believed to have been introduced to Scotland by Queen Margaret, wife of King Malcolm Canmore (1057-1093), from the Hungarian Court, where she was raised.
Some McAllisters later moved to Ulster as gallowglasses (from Irish: Gallóglaigh meaning foreign warriors) on a seasonal basis at the invitation of the MacDonnells. In Ireland today, the greatest numbers of the name are to be found in Counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Londonderry, Fermanagh, and Dublin, otherwise the name is widely dispersed. [1]
The MacAllisters spread into the north of Ireland early on; some families of this clan were established there by the 14th century. And a considerable number followed the MacDonalds of Dunyvaig to Antrim after that clan lost its Scottish lands in the 1600s.
Like the MacDonalds, the MacAllisters were seen as "uncivilised Gaels" and were not considered appropriate candidates for the Ulster Plantations therefore, are not among the group now known as Ulster-Scots (or Scotch-Irish). [2]
The McAllister surname has many different spellings due to immigration. Some of the common spellings are [3]
It is agreed upon that all bearers of the 'McAllister' surname and its derivatives share a common ancestor, which historians believe to be Somerled.
| Religious adherence in Ireland | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Catholic | 50% |
| Presbyterian | 30% |
| Anglican | 20% |
Sample size: 1,530 (1901). It is likely that these figures have changed significantly. In recent times, the religious adherence of those bearing the McAllister last name is predominantly Catholic in Ireland.
Alistair is a male given name. It is an anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic Alasdair. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman French Alexandre or Latin Alexander, which was incorporated into English in the same form as Alexander. The deepest etymology is the Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (man-repeller): ἀλέξω (repel) + ἀνήρ (man), "the one who repels men", a warrior name. Another, not nearly so common, Anglicization of Alasdair is Allaster.
Cochrane is a surname with multiple independent origins, two Scottish and one Irish. One of the Scottish names derives from a place in Scotland; the Irish surname and the other Scottish surname are both anglicisations of surnames from the Irish language and Scottish Gaelic respectively.
Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich MacDhòmhnaill, also known by the English variant of his name Sir Alexander MacDonald, was a military officer best known for his participation in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, notably the Irish Confederate Wars and Montrose's Royalist campaign in Scotland during 1644–5. A member of the Gaelic gentry of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, a branch of the Clan Donald active in the Hebrides and Ireland, Mac Colla is particularly notable for the very large number of oral traditions and legends which his life inspired in the Highlands.
McIntyre, McEntire, MacIntyre, McAteer, and McIntire are Scottish and Irish surnames derived from the Gaelic Mac an tSaoir literally meaning "son of the Craftsman or Mason", but more commonly cited as "son of the Carpenter." The corresponding English name is Wright. It is common in Ulster and the highlands of Scotland, found in Ireland mostly in counties Donegal, Londonderry, Tyrone and Sligo.
Curry is a common surname used in Ireland, Scotland and England. Currey is a less common variant. In England and Scotland, is it thought to derive from local place names and, in Scotland, also possibly from MacMhuirrich.
Clan MacAlister is a Scottish Clan. The clan is the earliest branch to have split off from Clan Donald, claiming descent from Alasdair Mòr, son of Domhnall founder of Clan Donald. From Alasdair Mòr the clans takes its surname MacAlister; this surname is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic MacAlasdair meaning "son of Alasdair". In the 15th century the chief of the clan was seated in Kintyre, and the clan was centred there until the 18th century, when a chief sold the family estate in preference to an estate in the Scottish Lowlands.
MacDonnell, Macdonnell, or McDonnell is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic patronymic Mac Dhòmhnaill, meaning "son of Dòmhnall". The Gaelic personal name Dòmhnall is a Gaelicised form of the name Donald, which is composed of the elements domno, meaning "world", and val, meaning "might" or "rule". The name is considered a variation of MacDonald.
Coll Ciotach Mac Domhnaill (1570–1647) was a Scottish adventurer and mercenary of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg branch of Clan Donald, who became Laird of Colonsay in 1623, by treachery. His name, which means "Coll the left-handed" or "the crafty", was anglicised as Colkitto. However he only used the nickname Ciotach late in his life in 1629 when it appeared in a Latin translation of a Gaelic letter where Coll refers to himself as "Ego Collatius Kiotach Macdonnell".
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.
McNally is an Irish surname originating in County Tyrone, in the province of Ulster. It is the Anglicized form of Mac Conallaidh 'son of Cú Allaidh', a Gaelic name of the Cenél nEógain clan meaning the 'wild hound', i.e. 'wolf'.
McQuillan and MacQuillan are surnames of Irish origin. There are several unrelated origins of the surnames McQuillan and MacQuillan.
McShane is a patronymic surname originating in Ireland. Also appears in Scotland and England. The surname evolved from the given name Shane, a derivative of John, of Hebrew origin. Some of the earliest historical records regarding the surname are documented through Hugh McShane O'Neill of the royal O'Neill dynasty.
Macalister, MacAlister, MacAllister and their variants are forms of a Gaelic surname which means 'son of Alisdair'. The name originated in Scotland and belonged to a branch of the Clan Donald; they became an independent clan in 1493. From about the thirteenth century, MacAlisters were settling in the Glens of Northern Ireland, and they became numerous there.
Donlevy is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Duinnshléibhe/Ó Duinnshléibhe 'son/descendant of Donn Sléibhe'; a given name meaning 'Donn of the mountain', i.e. 'dark mountain'. The MacDonlevys were the hereditary rulers of Dál Fiatach and styled as the Kings of Ulaid, i.e. rulers of (east) Ulster, in present-day County Down.
MacAlasdair is a masculine surname in Scottish Gaelic. The name translates into English as "son of Alasdair". The feminine form of the name is NicAlasdair, which translates into English as "daughter of Alasdair". These surnames originated as a patronyms, however they no longer refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. There are numerous Anglicised forms of MacAlasdair.
McCalister is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
McCallister is a surname and a derivient of McAlister. Notable people with the surname include:
McKinley, MacKinley or Mackinlay is a Scottish and Irish surname historically associated with northwestern Ireland's County Donegal, the over-kingdom of Ulaid in northeastern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands.
The Maguire family is an Irish clan based in County Fermanagh. The name derives from the Gaelic Mac Uidhir, which is "son of Odhar" meaning "dun", "dark one". According to legend, this relates to the eleventh descendant of Colla da Chrich, great-grandson of Cormac mac Airt, who was monarch of Ireland about the middle of the third century. From the 13th to the 17th centuries, the Maguire family were kings of Fermanagh.
McAlister is a northern Irish and Scottish surname. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Alasdair, meaning "son of Alasdair". The personal name Alasdair is a Gaelic form of Alexander.
