MACNAB
Recorded variant spellings include Mac Nab, Macnab
The surname MacNab originates from the Gaelic Mac an Aba, which translates literally as son of the abbot. This etymology indicates that the name was originally a patronymic, identifying a person as the descendant of a noteworthy abbacy.
Historically, the MacNab clan was closely linked with the ecclesiastical establishment of St. Fillan’s monastery in Perthshire. The hereditary abbots of this monastery appear to have transferred their office into a secular line, producing the clan chiefs whose name reflected their ecclesiastical ancestry. Records from the 12th and 13th centuries record the MacNab family as holding positions of influence comparable with local earls.
In the reign of William the Lion, the abbot of Glen Dochart—an area associated with the MacNab chiefs—held status that rivalled that of earls of Atholl and Monteath. Genealogical entries dating back to 1467 name figures such as Gillafaelan, who founded a 7th‑century monastery in the region, indicating the long tradition of the family’s religious and temporal leadership.
The first extant spelling of the name appears in 1376 in the rolls of the Earl of Douglas, where a Mathew M'Nab is mentioned. Subsequent medieval documents provide further attestations, such as a 1396 record of a Scots prisoner of war named Robart Gynnab in Colchester. In the 18th century, members of the clan served in the 42nd Regiment of Foot; Archibald McNab, a lieutenant, died in New York in 1767 during the American War of Independence.
During the 17th and 18th centuries many MacNabs emigrated from Scotland. Their descendants settled across the United Kingdom and in overseas colonies, and the name is now common in Ireland, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Estimates suggest that between five and eight thousand individuals bear the surname worldwide, with the greatest concentration still in the western lowlands of Scotland and the greater Glasgow area.
Variant spellings of the name include Macanab, MacYnab, MacNabb, MacNabbe, McNab and McNabb. Such diversities often arose from dialectal differences or the Anglicisation of the original Gaelic form. In Ireland, the name is sometimes rendered as MacCabe, while in America it appears in forms such as MacNabb or McNabb.
Today, the surname remains uncommon but carries connotations of honour, strength and a warrior heritage. The enduring association with Clan MacNab underscores a legacy of bravery and loyalty that dates back to the clan’s early chiefs’ support for Robert the Bruce and their prominent role as battle‑hardened warlords of Scotland.
Typical given names associated with the MacNab surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- Colin
- David
- Iain
- Ian
- James
- John
- Peter
- Robert
- William
Female
- Alison
- Catherine
- Elaine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Geraldine
- Jean
- Kirsty
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sandra
- Sarah
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname MacNab in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,045 people named MacNab in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,121st most common surname in Britain. Around 16 in a million people in Britain are named MacNab.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named MacNab
- James Charles Macnab of Macnab - 23rd Chief of Clan Macnab (1926 to 2013)
- Ronald MacNab - Cricketer (1902 to 1962)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.