MCCLOY
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Cloy, Mccloy
McCloy is a surname of both Scottish and Irish provenance, its etymology rooted in Gaelic medieval culture.
In Scotland, the name is a descendant of the Gaelic Mac Giolla Chluaidh, which translates literally as “son of the servant of the sword.” The term conveys an association with martial activity or a person of martial skill. Early Scottish recorders note a succession of spellings – McCloy, McCloye, and MacCloy – reflecting the natural evolution of pronunciation and orthography over time.
In Ireland, the surname emerges from the Gaelic Mac Giolla Dheacht, meaning “son of the servant of the right.” Older variants such as Mac Giolla Eacht and Mac Giolla Ruaidh indicate alternative meanings of “son of the servant of fear” and “son of the servant of the red‑haired youth,” respectively. These derivations illustrate the common medieval practice of appending Mac for “son” to a patronymic element representing a personal attribute or devotion.
Historic documentation links the McCloy name to the island of Arran, where a 12th‑century charter records an individual known as McLewis who later appears as McCloy. Subsequent accounts from the 16th and 17th centuries, including references to Donald MacCloye (1537) and Gilbert MacLoy (1646), confirm the persistence of the surname in the region. One of the early bearers was Donald M'Cloy, whose grandson was appointed Bishop of Edinburgh in 1705 and, in 1720, elected Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The surname is also identified as a branch of the Clan Stuart of Bute, a relationship supported by contemporary scholarly works such as the Dictionary of Scottish Surnames. Scholars note that McCloy shares a root with the surname Lewis, derived from the pre‑7th‑century personal name Lughaidh. These associations place the McCloy lineage firmly within the broader tapestry of Gaelic clan identities.
McCloy first appears in the annals of County Tyrone in Ulster, where it was held as a family seat from antiquity. By the early modern period, the surname had become common in Northern Ireland, particularly around Tyrone. The wave of emigration that followed the Great Famine saw many carrying the name to the United States, Canada, and elsewhere in the English‑speaking world. Today, the McCloy surname remains most frequently encountered in Ireland and the United States, though it can also be found in Scotland, Australia, and South Africa.
Variations of the surname, though phonetically similar, should be distinguished from unrelated names such as McClure or McCleary, as their origins differ. Common orthographic forms, however, do include McCloy, McCloye, MacCloy, McClay, and McLeay, reflecting historical shifts in spelling practices and the influence of regional dialects.
In sum, the McCloy surname encapsulates a rich linguistic heritage that bridges martial symbolism in Scotland with spiritual and physical attributes in Ireland, tracing a lineage that has survived for centuries through both oral transmission and written record.
Typical given names associated with the McCloy surname
Male
- Andrew
- Daniel
- David
- Graham
- James
- John
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Jacqueline
- Judith
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- McLoy
- McClay
- Macloy
- Macalay
- Macaley
- Macally
- Macaulay
- Macauley
- Macaullay
- Macaulley
- Macaully
- Macauly
- Macawley
- Maccally
- Maccaulay
- Maccauley
- Maccauly
- Macclay
- Macklay
- Mackley
- Mackly
- Mackouly
- Maclay
- Macleay
- Macley
- Macly
- Macualay
- Macualey
- Macualy
- Maculay
- Maculey
- Magauley
- Magauly
- Magawley
- Magawly
- Maglaya
- Magley
- Mcalay
- Mcaley
- Mcalley
- Mcally
- Mcaulay
- Mcauley
- Mcaulley
- Mcaully
- Mcauly
- Mcawley
- Mccallay
- Mccalley
- Mccally
- Mccaulay
- Mccauley
- Mccaulley
- Mccaully
- Mccauly
- Mccawley
- Mccloat
- Mccloe
- Mcclone
- Mcclory
- Mcclour
- Mccole
- Mccoll
- Mccolley
- Mccolly
- Mccowley
- Mccoy
- Mcculley
- Mccully
- Mcgailey
- Mcgaley
- Mcgauley
- Mcgaulley
- Mcgawley
- Mcgouley
- Mckelley
- Mckelly
- Mclay
- Mcleay
- Mcley
- Mcsloy
- Mcully
- Meckley
- Meekley
- Mekley
- Mickley
- Miggley
- Migley
- Mikely
- Mikolay
- Moakley
- Mocley
- Mogley
- Muckley
- Muckly
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McCloy in...
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There are approximately 870 people named McCloy in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,225th most common surname in Britain. Around 13 in a million people in Britain are named McCloy.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named McCloy
- Peter McCloy - Scottish football player
- Kevin McCloy - Gaelic football player
- Gary McCloy - Irish lawn bowler
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.