MCNAB
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Nab, Mcnab
McNab is a surname of Scottish provenance, derived from the Gaelic phrase Mac an Aba, which translates literally as “son of the abbot.” The name originally served as a patronymic, indicating descent from an abbot or an individual closely associated with an abbot.
The earliest chiefs of the McNab family were the lay abbots of the monastery of Glen Dochart, a valley that joins Glen Lochay at the head of Loch Tay, north‑west of Edinburgh. In the early Christian church the abbot of a monastery typically belonged to a leading family of the local tribe, the office being hereditary. As the monastery grew affluent, the abbot’s role became more temporal than spiritual; he acted as a man of the town, raising families and delegating authority to monks or clerics. During the reign of William the Lion (1165–1214) the abbot of Glen Dochart held a rank equal to that of the earls of Atholl and Monteath.
Genealogical records from the fourteenth century provide further documentation of the surname. In a 1467 genealogy the name Gillafaelan is recorded as the founder of a seventh‑century monastery in the region. A later entry in 1396 records Robart Gynnab, a Scots prisoner of war in Colchester. In the eighteenth century Archibald McNab served as a lieutenant in the 42nd Regiment of Foot and died in New York in 1767 during the American War of Independence. The earliest known spelling of the family name is that of Mathew M'Nab, dated 1376 in the records of the Earl of Douglas during the reign of King Robert the Third (1371–1406).
In modern times the surname remains most common in Scotland, with a notable concentration around Glasgow, and in particular among Scottish descendants who emigrated during the Highland Clearances of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The name is also found throughout the United Kingdom and has spread wide across the Commonwealth, with significant communities in the United States, Canada (especially Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario), Australia and New Zealand. Smaller concentrations exist in other countries across Europe, South America and Asia.
McNab has many recorded variants, including McNabb, McAnabb, McNabe, Macnab, Macnabb and others such as Macnabbe, Macnaboe and Macanab. These forms arise from the anglicisation of the original Gaelic name and are employed in different regions, most frequently in Ireland the spelling Mac an Aba is still used.
Throughout history members of the McNab clan have been associated with military service. Their participation in the armed forces of Scotland has been recorded from the medieval period through to the nineteenth century, and descendants have continued to serve in various armies around the world.
Typical given names associated with the McNab surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Alison
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Jean
- Kirsty
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Susan
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 McNab in...
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There are approximately 3,384 people named McNab in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,695th most common surname in Britain. Around 52 in a million people in Britain are named McNab.
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 McNab
- Bob McNab - Football player and manager
- Neil McNab - Football player and manager
- Chris McNab -
- Colin McNab - Chess player
- Alex McNab - Football player and coach (1895 to 1960)
- Jim McNab - Scottish football player (1940 to 2006)
- Jock McNab - Scottish football player (1894 to 1949)
- Sam McNab - Scottish football player (1926 to 1995)
- Dougie McNab - Football player
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.