MCPHEE
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Phee, Mcphee
McPhee is a surname of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Mac Dhuibhshíthe. The element mac signifies “son of”, while dhuibhshíthe combines dubh meaning “black” or “dark” with sìth meaning “peace”. Consequently the name is commonly interpreted as “son of the black peace” or, in a more mythological context, “son of the dark fairy”. The latter interpretation arises from the association of fairies with supernatural phenomena in Scottish folklore, suggesting that early bearers of the name might have been regarded as possessing a connection with the fairy realm.
The earliest documentary record of the family name appears in the late thirteenth century, with a witness named Johannes Macdufthi appearing in a charter from Dumfriesshire during the reign of Alexander the First in approximately 1180. The first confirmed spelling that resembles the modern surname is that of Thomas Macdoffy, who executed homage in 1296, an entry preserved in the Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland for the period of King John Balliol (1292‑1296). These records establish an early presence of the name within Scottish legal and ecclesiastical documents.
During the following centuries, the name was adopted in various forms, both within Scotland and in Ireland. In the Highlands and Western Isles, spellings such as MacDuffie, MacFie and McFie were common, reflecting the transliteration of Gaelic into English. Variants including Duffy, Duffie, Duhig and O’Duhig appear in Irish records, particularly outside Munster where the form Duhig is predominant. In ecclesiastical documents, a 1570 baptism in London records a John, son of John Duffy, and a 1684 marriage of James Duffy to Jane Armonette is also noted.
By the seventeenth century, members of the McPhee clan, traditionally located in the Hebridean islands of Colonsay and Oronsay, were displaced by political and religious upheavals. Many emigrated to the New World, as illustrated by a famine emigrant who departed from Londonderry for New York aboard the Mary‑Harrington on 2 June 1846. Such migrations have contributed to a widespread global diaspora of individuals bearing the surname, with significant concentrations now found in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Today the surname McPhee remains relatively common in Scotland, especially within the Highlands and the Islands. Its presence in English‑speaking countries abroad continues to reflect the historical emigration patterns of the clan, with contemporary bearers often tracing their lineage to the original Gaelic form. The diversity of spellings—ranging from McFord to Duffy—attests to the linguistic evolution of the name across centuries and geographies, yet the core meaning associated with “black peace” endures in the cultural memory of the surname.
Typical given names associated with the McPhee surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Donald
- Duncan
- George
- Ian
- James
- John
- Robert
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Heather
- Helen
- Jane
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- 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 McPhee in...
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There are approximately 4,406 people named McPhee in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,130th most common surname in Britain. Around 68 in a million people in Britain are named McPhee.
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 McPhee
- Tony McPhee - Blues guitarist
- John McPhee - Motorcycle racer
- Ian McPhee - Scottish football player
- Brian McPhee - Scottish football player
- Duncan McPhee - Athletics competitor (1892 to 1950)
- Stewart McPhee - Football player
- Stephen McPhee - Football player
- John McPhee - Scottish football player (1937 to 1)
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.