McPhillips (surname)

McPhillips
Irish name: MacPhilib & MacPilib
Ethnicity Irish, Scottish, Celtic[1][2]
Current region Ulster
Information
Earlier spellings MacPhilip, MacPhillip, McPhilip, MacPhillips
Place of origin County Monaghan, Ireland. [3]
Notable members

Military Service

Politics

Sports

Culture

Film & Television

Music

  • Cohesion (band), Kevin McPhillips is founding member & lead guitarist of the Manchester Band
  • The Coronas, Dave McPhillips is lead guitarist of the Irish Indie Rock Band
  • John McPhillips, is an Irish composer
Connected families In Ireland:
McMahon, McArdle, Mathews
In Scotland: see McKillop
Name origin and meaning patronymic form meaning "son of Philip"
McKillop, Philbin, Phillips, Phillipson
Surnames are of different origin.

Although some historians claim the McPhillips surname is of Scottish origin,[4][5][6] the surname is found predominantly in Ireland, in the counties of Cavan, Fermanagh and Monaghan. In Ulster, the McPhillips are in Gaelic MacPilib or MacPhilib. Other historians claim they are a branch of the McMahons clan of Oriel, descendants of the coarb of Clones Abbey, Philip MacMahon.[7][3][8]

Contents

Etymology and early Irish origins

The Christian name Philip was brought to Britain & Ireland by the Normans in the 12th century and was soon gaelicized to Pilib. The surname is of patronymic form and derives from the Gaelic Mac Pilib, meaning "son of Philip", which was adopted by many Irish clans.[9] But in the Irish Annals, the gaelic form was particularly common in South Ulster & was used interchangeably among the McMahons of Oriel, O'Reillys of Breifne & Maguire's of Fermanagh between the 14th-17th centuries. Sean mac Pilib of the O'Reilly clan was ruler of East Breifne from 1392-1400 and was succeeded by Giolla Iosa mac Pilib.[10] Tomas Mór mac Pilib of the Maguire clan ruled Co. Fermamagh from 1395-1430. His grandson, Seán mac Pilib meic Thomáis Mhóir was ruler from 1486-1503.[11] Historian Peadar Livingstone also claims it is possible that some Maguire's of Fermanagh may have anglicised to McPhillips,[12] but generally the surname owes its origins to Pilib mac Séamus Mac Mathghamhna (English: Philip MacMahon). He was related to the Kings of Oriel and he was the coarb of Clones Abbey up until his death in 1486.[7][13][14][15] His son Séamus mac Pilib Mac Mathghamhna was Bishop of Derry from 26 November 1503 up until his death in 1519.[16][17] The surname, which was found to be the 31st most numerous in its homeland of County Monaghan in 1970. It's almost exclusive in Dartry where its the 7th most common surname.[18]

In Connacht, Phillips is an Anglicisation of McPhilbin which is one of the Hibernicised branches of the Burke clan. The surname was used interchangeably with McPhillips, but most later dropped the Mc/Mac prefix.[5][3][8]

Early Scottish origins

In Scotland, different variations of the surname can be found in Inverness-shire and Argyllshire. The most common version is McKillop, which can be represented in Scottish Gaelic as MacFhilib and MacPhilip. [8][4][19]

17th century and the Flight of the Earls

On the 14th September 1607, mention by Tadhg Ó Cianáin is made of an attendant called Seán MacPhilib.[20] He fled Ireland with the O'Donnells. He and 13 others choose to remain in Leuven, and followed Owen Roe O'Neill into the Spanish Army of Flanders, while the rest travelled to Rome. The regiment were fighting the Dutch during the Eighty Years' War.[21] The McPhillips clan of Dartry in County Monaghan were also involed in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.[22]

See also

Place Names

References

  1. ^ british surnames
  2. ^ ancestry.com Note: 15 McPhillips listed in the 1841 Scotland Census records 11 of which were born in Ireland
  3. ^ a b c Irish Times Irish ancestors Also Go to search & type McPhillips
  4. ^ a b Phillips DNA project David Dorward. Scottish Surnames. Published by Collins in 1995, Mercat Press; New edition in 2002 ISBN 978-1841830452
  5. ^ a b The Surnames of Ireland by Edward MacLysaght, Page 245, Published by Irish Academic Press in Dec. 1989, ISBN 9780716523666
  6. ^ DeBhudbh, Sean Slionnte Uile Éireann:All Ireland Surnames, page 284, published by Comhar-Chumann Ide Naofa in 2002
  7. ^ a b McMahon Genealogy page 7
  8. ^ a b c Robert A. Bell Book of Ulster Surnames, Page 214, published by The Blackstaff Press in 1988 ISBN 0-85640-602-3
  9. ^ Archive.org Note: William MacPhilip O'Dwyer from Tipperary, Obligationes pro Annatis Diocesis Lismorensis 1426-1529 by Patrick Canon Power and M. A. Costello. Archivium Hibernicum © 1946 Catholic Historical Society of Ireland Note: dean of lismore james (1484) & john (1499) mcphilip fitzgerald page 50. Muircheartach mac Pilib Ó Ceallaigh to name just a few
  10. ^ Ancestry.com compiled by Dennis Walsh notes taken from Irish Annals
  11. ^ Moody, T.W.; Martin, F.X.; Byrne, F.J. (1976). A New History of Ireland: Maps, Genealogies, Lists Vol 9. Oxford University Press. pp. 216. ISBN 0198217455. 
  12. ^ The Fermanagh Story by Peadar Livingstone published by Enniskillen : Clogher Historical Society in 1969 page 441 (Note: says its possible & probably)
  13. ^ Peadar Livingstone, The Monaghan story, published by Enniskillen : Clogher Historical Society in 1980 page 69 & 605. ISBN 0-9501047-4-4
  14. ^ McMahon DNA project
  15. ^ jstor Clogherici A Dictionary of the Catholic Clergy of the Diocese of Clogher (1535 - 1835) (Continued) by Rev. Pádraig Ó Gallachair, Clogher Record, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1957) page 176 (Note: says its possible)
  16. ^ edition, translation Annals of the Four Masters Vol. 5 (AD 1501–1588): p.1342 Note:(M1519.1 Semus mac Pilib mic Semais mic Rudhraighe Még Mhathgamhna epscop Doire d'écc.)
  17. ^ edition/ Annals of Ulstertranslation/ Annals of Ulster 1486 page 303 note:Art, son of Mac Domnaill of Clann-Cellaigh, namely, son of Cormac, son of Art Mac Domnaill, was slain in Cluain-eois, in a quarrel he made with clerics Little Christmas Day (namely, with Seamus mac Pilib, son of the Coarb Mag Mathgamna and with the son of Donchadh Mag Mathgamna, that is, the Parson and with Gilla-Padraig O'Connalaigh, that is, the Abbot)
  18. ^ Peadar Livingstone, The Monaghan story, published by Enniskillen : Clogher Historical Society in 1980 page 576,577. ISBN 0-9501047-4-4
  19. ^ IrishAbroad, McPhillips Surname
  20. ^ Imeacht na nIarlai Tadhg Ó Cianáin notes translated by Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich & Padraig deBarra, 1972
  21. ^ followers of the flight of the earls, flightoftheearls.ie & http://www.flightoftheearls.ch/overview.html Closed
  22. ^ Jstor An Index to the Rebels of 1641 in the County Monaghan Depositions by DM Schlegel - 1995, Clogher Record Vol. 15, No. 2 (1995), page 87 Published by: Clogher Historical Society