MCNEILL
Recorded variant spellings include M'Cneill, Mc Neill, Mc'Neill, Mc'neill, Mcneill
McNeill is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin. The name is derived from the Gaelic patronymic Mac Nèill, which literally translates to *son of Niall*. The personal name Niall is ancient Irish and means *champion* or *cloud*.
The root of the surname lies in the Gaelic language of the British Isles, and it appears in records from Scotland as early as the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. One of the earliest documented spellings is that of Gilbert McNeill in 1329, recorded in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland under the reign of Robert the Bruce.
In Scotland the surname is closely associated with the Outer Hebrides, particularly the island of Barra. There, the clan that bears the name is recognised as Clan MacNeil of Barra, one of the oldest and most ancient clans of Scotland. Another Scottish clan that carries the surname is Clan MacNeil of Giogil, also situated in the western isles.
Migration of the McNeill name into Ireland is historically documented. The surname is common in County Antrim and County Derry in Ulster. It is believed that the Irish bearers of the name descend from Scottish Gaels who settled in the north of Ireland before the Plantation of Ulster. Early mercenary forces known as Gallowglasses are recorded to have served in Connacht as far west as 1346, and the first immigrants are thought to have come as Gallowglasses before the Ulster Plantation.
The surname has a number of recognised variants that arise from different dialects and anglicisation. These include MacNeil, MacNeill, MacNeale, MacNeel, MacGreal, and MacReill. The initial n in the Gaelic form is sometimes rendered as r in the later spellings. Other common variants are McNeil, McNeal, MacNiel, McNiel, MacNell, McNell, MacNeel, McNeel, MacNellie, McNellie, MacNiell, and McNiell. In some cases the prefix may be replaced by O', giving forms such as O'Neill or O'Neil. These variants are used as surnames or as septs within clans.
In modern times the McNeill surname remains particularly common in the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Despite its widespread dispersion, the name retains a strong presence in its Scottish and Irish homelands, and remains a familiar surname in those regions.
Typical given names associated with the McNeill surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Angela
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Mackneil
- Macknell
- Macneal
- Macneall
- Macneel
- Macneil
- Macneill
- Macneillie
- Macnell
- Macniell
- Mckneale
- Mcnail
- Mcnall
- Mcnally
- Mcnaul
- Mcneal
- Mcneale
- Mcneall
- Mcneally
- Mcnealy
- Mcnee
- Mcneel
- Mcneela
- Mcneely
- Mcneil
- Mcneila
- Mcneilage
- Mcneile
- Mcneilie
- Mcneilis
- Mcneillage
- Mcneille
- Mcneillie
- Mcneillis
- Mcneilly
- Mcneily
- Mcnelis
- Mcnell
- Mcnella
- Mcnellan
- Mcnelley
- Mcnellie
- Mcnellis
- Mcnelly
- Mcniel
- Mcniell
- Mcnill
- Neale
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McNeill in...
Braille
⠍⠉⠝⠑⠊⠇⠇
Morse
---.-.-.....-...-..
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname McNeill are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Jaffa Cake.
There are approximately 7,729 people named McNeill in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,215th most common surname in Britain. Around 119 in a million people in Britain are named McNeill.
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 McNeill
- Billy McNeill - Scottish football player and manager (1940 to 2019)
- Brian McNeill - Singer
- Ronald McNeill, 1st Baron Cushendun - Politician (1861 to 1934)
- Pauline McNeill - Scottish politician
- Mica McNeill - Bobsledder
- Robert McNeill - Zoologist (1934 to 2016)
- George McNeill - Scottish athlete and coach
- Sylvia McNeill - Pop and rock singer and songwriter
- Ian McNeill - Scottish football player (1932 to 2017)
- Alan McNeill - Northern Irish football player
- James McNeill - Irish politician and diplomat (1869 to 1938)
- Ted McNeill - 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.