The Scottish name Mac comes from the Gaelic word meaning “son of fear” or “chief”. Some Scottish typically can begin with Mac, but some surnames begin with Mc, such as McDonald.

There are two main theories on why do Scottish names start with Mac:

• Because Mac is an old Celtic clan leader’s name. There is evidence that this theory may be true. It is believed that the most famous Celtic chieftains were named after their gods such as Mórrígan and Macha (Mars).
• The second popular theory suggests that the Macs were a powerful tribe who ruled over Scotland before the Romans arrived. This theory could explain the origin of other surnames that begin with Mac, like MacDonald and MacQueen.
• These two theories could also work together, because many Celts worshipped both a war god and a fertility goddess, while Celtic mythology tells us that the gods’ offspring married for love. When these clans would have had children, they might have been given names that would reflect the power of their respective gods, and thus names beginning with Mac may have come from a god-like character.

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and popular of Scottish boys’ names.