MacDonald (surname)
Pronunciation | mɨkdɒnəld |
---|---|
Language(s) | Scottish Gaelic |
Origin | |
Meaning | "Son of Dòmhnall" |
Region of origin | Scotland/Ireland |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Donald, Donaldson (surname), McDonnell, MacDonnell, MacDonell, McConnell, MacConnell, O'Donnell, Donnell |
[1] |
MacDonald, Macdonald, and McDonald are surnames of Scottish and Irish origin. In the Scottish Gaelic and Irish languages they are patronymic, referring to an ancestor with given name Donald.
Origins and variants
The surname is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic MacDhòmhnaill or Dòmhnallach.[2] The name is a patronym meaning "son of Dòmhnall". The personal name Dòmhnall is composed of the elements domno "world" and val "might", "rule".[3] According to Alex Woolf, the Gaelic personal name is probably a borrowing from the British Celtic Dyfnwal.
In the context of Scottish clans, the various forms of the name refer to one of the largest clans, Clan Donald. In Ireland the name is largely from this root but may sometimes be a synonym for MacDonnell, which itself may be of distinct Scottish Clan Donald galloglass or native Irish origins.[4]
Frequency and distribution
In Scottish surname data, no distinction is made between, for instance, "Macdonald" and "MacDonald".[5] According to this data, the following frequency information can be collated:
Year(s) | Macdonald Rank | %freq[6] | McDonald Rank | %freq |
---|---|---|---|---|
1855–1858[7] | 2 | 1.23 | <50 | <0.30 |
1935[7] | 2 | 1.03 | <50 | <0.28 |
1958[7] | 3 | 0.98 | <50 | <0.26 |
1976[8] | 10 | 0.59 | 23 | 0.40 |
1990[8] | 10 | 0.55 | 32 | 0.35 |
1999–2001[5][8] | 9 | 0.55 | 24 | 0.37 |
2014[1] | 9 | 0.35 | 34 | 0.21 |
Frequency data from England of 1891 shows a concentration of families bearing the "Macdonald" surname in Lancashire and Yorkshire with a lower frequency in the northernmost counties, but overall widespread distribution throughout the country.[10] "McDonald" shares the same pattern of distribution.[11] Looking at contemporaneous data from the United States, coast-to-coast distribution of both "Macdonald" and "McDonald" appears in 1880.[12][13] Looking back to 1840 in the United States, the prevalence of "McDonald" is far greater than that of "Macdonald", with concentration in the Ohio-Pennsylvania-New York corridor.[14][15]
Notable people: MacDonald surname
Born before 1400
- Aonghus Mór (died c. 1293), son of Domhnall mac Raghnaill, and can be regarded as the first MacDonald
- Aonghus Óg of Islay (died 1314 × 1318/c. 1330), Chief of Clan Donald and ally of Robert the Bruce
- John of Islay, Lord of the Isles (died 1386), First Lord of the Isles and Chief of Clan Donald. Second wife was Margaret Stewart, daughter of Robert II of Scotland
- Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles (died 1423), Second Lord of the Isles. Married Mariota, Countess of Ross
- Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross (died 1449), Third Lord of the Isles. Ally then rival of his relative, James I of Scotland
Born after 1400
- John of Islay, Earl of Ross (1434–1503), or "John MacDonald", Scottish ruler, Fourth Lord of the Isles and Chief of the Highland Clan Donald
- Aonghas Óg (died 1490), bastard son of John of Islay and last of the MacDonald Lord of the Isles. Fought a naval battle at the Battle of Bloody Bay against his father resulting in the loss of half of the MacDonald fleet
- Alasdair Mac Colla (1610-1647), or Sir Alexander MacDonald, Scottish/Irish military commander during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Born after 1700
- Flora MacDonald (1722–1790), Jacobite patriot who protected Bonnie Prince Charlie after the 1746 Battle of Culloden
- Jacques MacDonald (1765–1840), 1st Duke of Taranto, French military officer and Marshal of the Empire under Napoleon I (2nd generation French; father was Scottish)
- John MacDonald of Garth (1771–1866), early partner in the North West Company
- John Small MacDonald (c. 1791–1849), Canadian businessman and provincial politician
Born after 1800
- Annie MacDonald (1832–1897), British courtier, Dresser (lady's maid) to Queen Victoria of Great Britain.
- A. B. MacDonald (born c. 1861), American journalist
- Beatrice Mary MacDonald (1881–1969), American Army nurse during World War I
- Bob MacDonald (1885–1960), Scottish-American professional golfer
- Claude Maxwell MacDonald (1852–1915), British soldier and diplomat
- George MacDonald (1824–1905), Scottish-English author, poet, and Christian minister
- Hector MacDonald (1853–1903), Scottish Major-General of the British Army under Lord Kitchener
- John Alexander Macdonald (1815–1891), first Prime minister of Canada, usually referred to as John A. Macdonald.
- John L. MacDonald (1838–1903), Scottish-American national politician
- Pirie MacDonald (1867–1942), American portrait photographer
- Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937), Scottish politician, twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (son of "Macdonald" father and "Ramsay" mother, registered at birth as "James McDonald Ramsay")
- Ranald MacDonald (1834–1894), Scottish-Chinook educator. First man to teach the English language in Japan
- William Josiah MacDonald (1873–1946), American lawyer and national politician
Born after 1900
- Jeanette MacDonald (1903–1965), American singer and actress
- Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist) (1906-1991), Scottish-born American sound designer at Disney
- Jack Macdonald (sportsman) (1908–1982), New Zealand rower
- James Macdonald (ornithologist) (1908–2002), Scottish-Australian ornithologist
- Ian MacDonald (actor) (1914–1978), American actor and director during the 1940s and 1960s
- Ross Macdonald (1915–1983), pseudonym of the American-Canadian writer Kenneth Millar
- John D. MacDonald (1916–1986), American novelist
- Virginia B. MacDonald (1920–2008), American politician
- Charles B. MacDonald (1922–1990), American World War II soldier and military historian
- Flora MacDonald (1926–2015), Canadian politician
- Peter MacDonald (Navajo leader) (born 1928) former chairman of the Navajo Nation
- Jeffrey R. MacDonald (born 1943), American murderer
- Margo MacDonald (1943–2014), Scottish politician
- Kevin B. MacDonald (born 1944), American psychology academic
- Ralph MacDonald (1944–2011), American percussionist, songwriter
- Linda MacDonald (born 1946), American multimedia artist and quilter
- John MacDonald (Canadian musician) (born 1948), Canadian musician of the French horn (current residence, Germany)
Born after 1950
- Alan MacDonald (rugby union) (born 1985), Scottish rugby union player
- Andrew MacDonald (ice hockey) (born 1986), Canadian ice hockey player
- Andrew McDonald (water polo) (born 1955), American water polo player
- Ann-Marie MacDonald (born 1958), Canadian playwright, novelist, actor and broadcast journalist (born in West Germany to Canadian military parents)
- Garry MacDonald (b. 1962), English footballer
- Heidi MacDonald, American comic book editor and comics critic
- Jason MacDonald (born 1975), Canadian Mixed martial artist
- Kevin MacDonald (footballer) (born 1960), Scottish footballer
- Kirk MacDonald (ice hockey) (born 1983), Canadian ice hockey player
- Kirk MacDonald (politician), member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
- Linda MacDonald (activist), Canadian activist against Non-State Torture
- Mike MacDonald (born 1954), Canadian comedian and actor
- Mike MacDonald (born 1980), American rugby union player
- Roddie MacDonald (born 1954), Scottish footballer
- Roddy (R.S.) MacDonald (born 1956), Scottish-Australian Pipe Major and composer (26 year residence in England)
- Rory MacDonald (born 1989), Canadian professional mixed martial artist currently fighting in the UFC.
- Shaun MacDonald (born 1988), Welsh footballer
- William J. MacDonald (writer and producer), American television writer and producer
- Andrew Duck MacDonald (born 1953), American heavy metal/hard rock guitarist
Born after 1970
- Fiona MacDonald (born 1974), Scottish curler
- Ray MacDonald (born 1977), Thai actor
Notable people: Macdonald surname
Born after 1700
- Allan Macdonald (1794–1862), New York politician
- Lawrence Macdonald (1799–c.1870), Scottish sculptor
Born after 1800
- John Sandfield Macdonald (1812–1872), Canadian national politician, First Premier of Ontario
- Sir John A. Macdonald (1815–1891), Scottish-Canadian national politician, first Prime Minister of Canada
- Donald Alexander Macdonald (1817–1896), Canadian national politician
- John Macdonald (Canadian politician) (1824–1890), Scottish-Canadian merchant, churchman, philanthropist and national politician
- William Christoper Macdonald (1831–1917), Scottish-Canadian tobacco manufacturer, philanthropist
- Captain Murdo Stewart MacDonald (1852–1938), Scottish sailor, the last Sea Baron, Lloyd's Surveyor of Shipping
- Charles B. Macdonald (1855–1939), American golfer, introduced the first 18-hole course in the United States
- C. Leslie Macdonald (1856–1929), Australian racehorse owner
- John Smyth Macdonald (1867–1941), British physiologist
- Harry Macdonough (born John Macdonald, 1871–1931), Canadian singer and recording executive
- John Alexander Macdonald (Prince Edward Island politician) (1874–1948), Canadian national politician
- William Alexander Macdonald (fl. 1890s), Canadian provincial politician
- William Ross Macdonald (1891–1976), Canadian national politician
- Ab Macdonald Albert Macdonald (1896– ), South Australian horse trainer
Born after 1900
- Archibald 'Archie' James Florence Macdonald (1904–1983), British Liberal MP
- Barbara Macdonald, (1913–2000), social worker, lesbian feminist and ageism activist
- Dwight Macdonald (1906–1982), American writer, editor, social critic, philosopher, and political radical.
- Eleanor Josephine Macdonald (1906–2007) pioneer American cancer epidemiologist and cancer researcher
- John Michael Macdonald (1906–1997), Canadian national politician
- Jack Macdonald (sportsman) (1908–1982), New Zealand rower
- James David Macdonald (ornithologist) (1908–2002), British and Australian ornithologist
- Margaret Mary Macdonald (1910–1968), Canadian national politician
- Callum Macdonald (1912–1999), Scottish publisher who specialised in poetry
- James David Macdonald (politician) (born 1922), Canadian politician
- Ian G. Macdonald (born 1928), English mathematician, a prominent contributor to algebraic combinatorics
- Ian Macdonald (Australian politician) (born 1945), Australian national politician
Born after 1950
- Sir Ken Macdonald QC (born 1953), British barrister, Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service (2003–2008)
- Norm Macdonald (born 1963), Canadian comedian/actor
- Kevin Macdonald (director) (born 1967), Scottish film director (The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void)
- Kelly Macdonald (born 1976), Scottish actress
- Amy Macdonald (born 1987), Scottish singer/songwriter
- Amy MacDonald (writer) (born 1951), American writer and journalist
- Ian Macdonald (New South Wales politician) (born 1949), Australian state politician
- Dame Mary Macdonald (born 1950), British Head Teacher, honoured for services to education
- Shauna MacDonald (Canadian actress) (born 1970)
- Shauna Macdonald (Scottish actress) (born 1981)
- Shona Macdonald, Scottish artist
- Nene Macdonald (born 1994), Papua New Guinean Rugby League player
- Ross Macdonald (born 1989), bassist for The 1975
Notable people: McDonald surname
Born after 1800
- Ambrose Stephen McDonald (1845–1913), American businessman and politician
- Eugene F. McDonald (1886–1958), American entrepreneur, founder of Zenith Radio
- Harl McDonald (1899–1955), American composer, pianist, conductor and teacher
- Jack McDonald (ice hockey, born 1887) (died 1958), Canadian professional ice hockey player
- James Grover McDonald (1886–1964), American diplomat, first Ambassador to Israel
- William Jesse McDonald (1852–1918), leader of the Texas Ranger Division and bodyguard to Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson
- John McDonald (of Dromod) (1846 – aft. 1911), Irish cultural nationalist poet
Born after 1900
- Albert McDonald (1930–2014), American politician
- Sir Arthur McDonald (1903–1996), British West Indian-English Royal Air Force Air Marshal
- Barry McDonald (rugby union) (1940–2020), Australian rugby union player
- Country Joe McDonald (born 1942), American musician and activist
- John P. McDonald (1922–1993), American librarian
- K.J. McDonald (1930–2012), American politician
- Ian McDonald (musician) (born 1946), English rock musician
- Larry McDonald (1935–1983), a member of the United States House of Representatives
- Laurier McDonald (born 1931), Texas Attorney, Historian, Author
- Mac McDonald (born 1949), American actor
- Marie McDonald (1923–1965), American film actress
- Martha McDonald (born 1964), American artist
- Maurice McDonald (1902–1971), American fast food pioneer and co-founder of McDonald's
- Parker Lee McDonald (1924–2017), American judge
- Richard McDonald (1909–1998), American fast food pioneer and co-founder of McDonald's
- Roy McDonald (poet) (born 1937), Canadian poet and busker
- Roy McDonald (politician) (born 1946), New York State Senator
- Sandy McDonald (1937–2016), Scottish Minister of the Church of Scotland
- Susan Marshall McDonald (1918–1992), philatelist of Ohio
- Sir Trevor McDonald (born George McDonald, 1939), Trinidadian-born British news presenter
- W. Ian McDonald (1933–2006), New Zealand neurologist, academic, and specialist in multiple sclerosis
- Walt McDonald (born 1934), American poet, academic, Poet Laureate of Texas
- Wesley L. McDonald (1924–2009), United States Navy Four Star Admiral and Naval Aviator
- Whitey McDonald (1902–1956), Canadian Soccer Player
- William Joseph McDonald (1904–1989), Irish-born American Catholic bishop
Born after 1950
- Amy McDonald (Scottish footballer) (born 1985), Scottish football player/coach
- Ariel McDonald (born 1972), American-Slovenian basketball player
- Audra McDonald (born 1970), American actress and singer
- Andy McDonald (born 1977), Canadian professional ice hockey player
- Barry McDonald (gymnast) (born 1971), Irish gymnast
- Chris McDonald (footballer) (born 1975), Scottish footballer
- Christopher McDonald (actor) (born 1955), American actor
- Cole McDonald (born 1998), American football player
- Elizabeth McDonald (born 1985), American artist
- Hugh McDonald (American musician) (born 1950), American musician, bassist
- Clayton McDonald (born 1988), English footballer
- Daniel McDonald (actor) (1960–2007), American actor
- David Tennant (born David John McDonald, 1971), Scottish actor
- Ian McDonald (author) (born 1960), English science fiction novelist (residence in Northern Ireland)
- Joe McDonald (politician) (born 1966), American politician
- John McDonald (born 1974), American professional baseball player
- Kevin McDonald (born 1961), Canadian comedian and actor
- Kevin McDonald (footballer, born 1985), English footballer
- Kevin McDonald (footballer, born 1988), Scottish footballer
- Lanny McDonald (born 1953), Canadian professional ice hockey player
- Mackenzie McDonald (born 1995), American tennis player
- Mark McDonald (politician) (born 1980), Scottish politician
- Margaret McDonald (voice actress) (born 1988), American voice actress
- Meg McDonald (footballer) (born 1991), Australian rules footballer
- Michael McDonald (singer) (born 1952), American singer
- Miriam McDonald (born 1987), Canadian actress
- Neil McDonald (footballer) (born 1965), former English professional footballer turned coach
- Rod McDonald (footballer, born 1967), English footballer
- Rod McDonald (footballer, born 1992), English footballer
- Scott McDonald (born 1983), Australian footballer
- Shawn McDonald (born 1978), American Christian singer, songwriter and guitarist
- Simon McDonald (diplomat) (born 1961), British diplomat
Pseudonyms
- Abby McDonald, pen-name of British author Abigal Hass
- Ian MacDonald (born Ian MacCormick, 1948–2003), British music critic and author.
Given names
- Macdonald Carey (1913–1994), American actor
Relationships
- Brothers: J.S. Macdonald (b. 1812) ↔ D.A. Macdonald (b. 1817)
- Brothers: C. McDonald (b. 1955) ↔ D. McDonald (b. 1960)
- Father-son: A. McDonald (b. 1937) → D. Tennant (McDonald) (b. 1971)
- Father-Daughter-in-Law: J.A. Macdonald (b. 1874) → M.M. Macdonald (b. 1910)
Fictional characters
- Ronald "Mac" McDonald, character in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- Ronald McDonald, international fast-food franchise clown mascot and spokesman
Coronation Street
Several characters from the soap opera Coronation Street, including:
- Amy McDonald
- Andy McDonald (Coronation Street)
- Becky McDonald
- Karen McDonald
- Jim McDonald (Coronation Street)
- Liz McDonald
- Ruairi McDonald
- Steve McDonald (Coronation Street)
- Tracy McDonald
- Vicky McDonald
See also
Ambiguous human name pages
References
- ^ a b "MacDonald Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
- ^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain. "Ainmean Pearsanta" (docx). Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
- ^ "McDonald Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1991). The Surnames of Ireland. Dublin: Irish Academic Press limited. p. 85. ISBN 0-7165-2364-7.
- ^ a b "Surnames in Scotland over the last 140 years". Occasional papers. General Register Office for Scotland. Archived from the original on 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
In this new survey of surnames, as in all previous surveys, we have not distinguished between the varying use of capital letters within surnames e.g. MacDonald/Macdonald. However, as in the previous two surveys, each spelling is noted separately in the tables e.g. McDonald/MacDonald.
- ^ a b %freq = percentage of the sample population sharing a particular surname.
- ^ a b c d "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c d "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-31. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Note: Quote from GROScotSurnames: "Note that McDonald is shown as more common than MacDonald in 1901, although given the uncertainties surrounding the spelling of these names it would seem wrong to regard this as significant." - ^ macdonald Families Living in England and Wales in 1891 - Ancestry.com
- ^ mcdonald Families Living in England and Wales in 1891 - Ancestry.com
- ^ mcdonald Family History Facts 1880 - Ancestry.com
- ^ macdonald Family History Facts 1880 - Ancestry.com
- ^ mcdonald Family History Facts 1840 - Ancestry.com
- ^ macdonald Family History Facts 1840 - Ancestry.com