Macdonald
This article is about the surname Macdonald (and similar). For other uses, see Macdonald (disambiguation).
"McDonald" redirects here. For the global fast food chain, see McDonald's.
| Macdonald, MacDonald, McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Family name | |
| Pronunciation | mɨkdɒnəld |
| Meaning | "Son of Dòmhnall" |
| Region of origin | Scotland/Ireland |
| Language(s) of origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Related names | Donald, Donald (surname), Donaldson, MacDonnell (surname) |
| Footnotes: [1] | |
MacDonald, Macdonald, and McDonald are Anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic name MacDhòmhnaill, which in modern Gaelic is approximated as McConnell. It is a patronym where Mac means "son" and Dhòmhnaill means "of Dòmhnall". The personal name Dòmhnall is composed of the elements domno "world" and val "might", "rule".[2] According to Alex Woolf, the Gaelic personal name is probably a borrowing from the British Dyfnwal.
In the context of Scottish clans, the various forms of the name refer to one of the largest clans, Clan Donald.
Frequency and distribution
In Scottish surname data, no distinction is made between, for instance, "Macdonald" and "MacDonald".[3] According to this data, the following frequency information can be collated:
| Year(s) | Macdonald Rank | %freq[4] | McDonald Rank | %freq |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1855–1858[5] | 2 | 1.23 | <50 | <0.30 |
| 1901[6] | | | | |
| 1935[5] | 2 | 1.03 | <50 | <0.28 |
| 1958[5] | 3 | 0.98 | <50 | <0.26 |
| 1976[7] | 10 | 0.59 | 23 | 0.40 |
| 1990[7] | 10 | 0.55 | 32 | 0.35 |
| 1999–2001[3][7] | 9 | 0.55 | 24 | 0.37 |
| 2014[1] | 9 | 0.35 | 34 | 0.21 |
Frequency data from England of 1891 shows a concentration of families bearing the "Macdonald" surname in Lancashire and Yorkshire with a lower frequency in the northernmost counties, but overall widespread distribution throughout the country.[8] "McDonald" shares the same pattern of distribution.[9] Looking at contemporaneous data from the United States, coast-to-coast distribution of both "Macdonald" and "McDonald" appears in 1880.[10][11] Looking back to 1840 in the United States, the prevalence of "McDonald" is far greater than that of "Macdonald", with concentration in the Ohio-Pennsylvania-New York corridor.[12][13]
Notable people: MacDonald surname
Born after 1400
- John of Islay, Earl of Ross (1434–1503), or "John MacDonald", Scottish ruler, Fourth Lord of the Isles and Chief of the Highland Clan Donald
Born after 1700
- Jacques MacDonald (1765–1840), French Duke of Tarento and Marshal of the Empire under Napoleon I (2nd generation French; father was Scottish)
- John MacDonald of Garth, (1771-1866), early partner in the North West Company
- John Small MacDonald (c.1791–1849), Canadian businessman and provincial politician
Born after 1800
- A. B. MacDonald, American journalist
- Claude Maxwell MacDonald (1852–1915), British soldier and diplomat
- George MacDonald (1824–1905), Scottish-English author, poet, and Christian minister
- Hector MacDonald (1853–1903), Scottish Major-General of the British Army under Lord Kitchener
- John Alexander Macdonald (1815–1891), first Prime minister of Canada
- John L. MacDonald (1838–1903), Scottish-American national politician
- Pirie MacDonald (1867–1942), American portrait photographer
- Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937), Scottish politician, twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (son of "Macdonald" father and "Ramsay" mother, registered at birth as "James McDonald Ramsay")
- Ranald MacDonald (1834–1894), Scottish-Chinook educator. First man to teach the English language in Japan
- William Josiah MacDonald (1873–1946), American lawyer and national politician
Born after 1900
- Jeanette MacDonald (1903–1965), American singer and actress
- John Macdonald (rower) (1908–1982), New Zealand rower
- Ian MacDonald (actor) (1914–1978), American actor and director during the 1940s and 1960s
- Ross Macdonald (1915–1983), pseudonym of the American-Canadian writer Kenneth Millar
- John D. MacDonald (1916–1986), American novelist
- Charles B. MacDonald (1922–1990), American World War II soldier and military historian
- Flora MacDonald (born 1926), Canadian politician
- Peter MacDonald (Navajo leader) (born 1928) former chairman of the Navajo Nation
- Jeffrey R. MacDonald (born 1943), American murderer
- Margo MacDonald (1943–2014), Scottish politician
- Kevin B. MacDonald (born 1944), American psychology academic
- John MacDonald (Canadian musician) (born 1948), Canadian musician of the French horn (current residence, Germany)
Born after 1950
- Alan MacDonald (rugby union) (born 1985), Scottish rugby union player
- Andrew McDonald (water polo) (born 1955), American water polo player
- Ann-Marie MacDonald (born 1958), Canadian playwright, novelist, actor and broadcast journalist (born in West Germany to Canadian military parents)
- Garry MacDonald, English footballer
- Heidi MacDonald, American comic book editor and comics critic
- Jason MacDonald (born 1975), Canadian Mixed martial artist
- Kevin MacDonald (footballer) (born 1960), Scottish footballer
- Kirk MacDonald (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player
- Kirk MacDonald (politician), member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
- Mike MacDonald (born 1954), Canadian comedian and actor
- Mike MacDonald (born 1980), American rugby union player
- Roddie MacDonald (born 1954), Scottish footballer
- Roddy (R.S.) MacDonald, Scottish-Australian Pipe Major and composer (26 year residence in England)
- Rory MacDonald, Canadian professional mixed martial artist currently fighting in the UFC.
- Shaun MacDonald (born 1988), Welsh footballer
- William J. MacDonald (writer and producer), American television writer and producer
- Andrew Duck MacDonald, American heavy metal/hard rock guitarist
Notable people: Macdonald surname
Born after 1700
- Allan Macdonald (1794-1862), New York politician
Born after 1800
- John Sandfield Macdonald (1812–1872), Canadian national politician, First Premier of Ontario
- Sir John A. Macdonald (1815–1891), Scottish-Canadian national politician, first Prime Minister of Canada
- Donald Alexander Macdonald (1817–1896), Canadian national politician
- John Macdonald (Canadian politician) (1824–1890), Scottish-Canadian merchant, churchman, philanthropist and national politician
- William Christoper Macdonald (1831–1917), Scottish-Canadian tobacco manufacturer, philanthropist
- Charles B. Macdonald (1855–1939), American golfer, introduced the first 18-hole course in the United States (2nd generation American, born to Scottish father and Canadian mother)
- Harry Macdonough (born "John Macdonald" 1871–1931), Canadian singer and recording executive
- John Alexander Macdonald (Prince Edward Island politician) (1874–1948), Canadian national politician
- Captain Murdo Stewart MacDonald (1852–1938) the last Sea Baron and Lloyds Surveyor of Shipping
- William Alexander Macdonald (fl. 1890's), Canadian provincial politician
- William Ross Macdonald (1891–1976), Canadian national politician (2nd generation Canadian born to Scottish immigrant father)
Born after 1900
- Archibald 'Archie' James Florence Macdonald (1904–1983), British Liberal MP
- Dwight Macdonald (1906–1982) American writer, editor, social critic, philosopher, and political radical.
- John Michael Macdonald (1906–1997), Canadian national politician
- James David Macdonald (ornithologist) (1908–2002), British and Australian ornithologist
- Margaret Mary Macdonald (1910–1968), Canadian national politician
- Callum Macdonald (publisher) (1912–1999), Scottish publisher who specialised in poetry
- James David Macdonald (politician) (born 1922), Canadian politician
- Ian G. Macdonald (born 1928), English mathematician, a prominent contributor to algebraic combinatorics
- Ian Macdonald (Australian politician) (born 1945), Australian national politician
Born after 1950
- Sir Ken Macdonald QC (born 1953), British barrister, Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service (2003–2008)
- Norm Macdonald (born 1963), Canadian comedian/actor
- Kelly Macdonald (born 1976), Scottish actress
- Amy Macdonald (born 1987), Scottish singer/songwriter
- Amy MacDonald (writer) (born 1951), American writer and journalist
- Ian Macdonald (New South Wales politician) (living), Australian state politician
- Kevin Macdonald (director), Film director (The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void)
- Dame Mary Macdonald (born 1950), Head Teacher, honoured for Services to Education
- Nene Macdonald (born 1994), Papua New Guinean Rugby League player
Notable people: McDonald surname
Born after 1800
- Eugene F. McDonald (1886–1958), American entrepreneur, founder of Zenith Radio
- Jack McDonald (ice hockey b. 1887), Canadian professional ice hockey player
- James Grover McDonald (1886–1964), American diplomat, first Ambassador to Israel
- William Jesse McDonald (1852–1918), leader of the Texas Ranger Division and bodyguard to Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson
Born after 1900
- Whitey McDonald (1902-1956), Canadian Soccer Player
- Sir Arthur McDonald (1903–1996), British West Indian-English Royal Air Force Air Marshal
- William Joseph McDonald (1904-1989), Irish-born American Catholic bishop
- Marie McDonald (1923–1965), American film actress
- Wesley L. McDonald (1924-2009), United States Navy 4 Star Admiral and Naval Aviator
- Walt McDonald (born 1934), American poet, academic, Poet Laureate of Texas
- Larry McDonald (1935–1983), a member of the United States House of Representatives
- Very Revd Dr Alexander McDonald (born 1937), Scottish Minister of the Church of Scotland
- Sir Trevor McDonald (born "George McDonald" 1939), Trinidadian-born British news presenter
- Country Joe McDonald (born 1942), American musician and activist
- Ian McDonald (musician) (born 1946), English rock musician
- Mac McDonald (born 1949), American actor
- Roy McDonald (poet) (born 1937), Canadian poet and busker
- Roy McDonald (politician) (born 1946) New York State Senator
- Susan Marshall McDonald (1918–1992), philatelist of Ohio,
- Laurier McDonald (born 1931), Texas Attorney, Historian, Author.
- Albert McDonald (1931-2014) American politician
Born after 1950
- Hugh McDonald (American musician) (born 1950), American musician, bassist
- Michael McDonald (born 1952), American singer
- Lanny McDonald (born 1953), Canadian professional ice hockey player
- Christopher McDonald (actor) (born 1955), American actor
- Ian McDonald (author) (born 1960), English science fiction novelist (residence in Northern Ireland)
- Daniel McDonald (actor) (1960–2007), American actor
- Kevin McDonald (born 1961), Canadian comedian and actor
- Neil McDonald (born 1965), former English professional footballer turned coach
- Rod McDonald (born 1967), English footballer
- David Tennant (born "McDonald" 1971), Scottish actor
- John McDonald (born 1974), American professional baseball player
- Chris McDonald (footballer) (born 1975), Scottish footballer
- Andy McDonald (born 1977), Canadian professional ice hockey player
- Shawn McDonald (born 1978), American Christian singer, songwriter and guitarist
- Mark McDonald (born 1980), Scottish politician
- Scott McDonald (born 1983), Australian footballer
- Simon McDonald (diplomat) (born 1961), British ambassador to Germany
- Kevin McDonald (footballer born 1985), English footballer
- Kevin McDonald (footballer, born 1988), Scottish footballer
- Clayton McDonald (born 1988), English footballer
Pseudonyms
- Ian MacDonald (born "MacCormick" 1948–2003), British music critic and author.
Given names
- Macdonald Carey (1913–1994), American actor
Relationships
- Brothers: J.S. Macdonald (b. 1812) ↔ D.A. Macdonald (b. 1817)
- Brothers: C. McDonald (b. 1955) ↔ D. McDonald (b. 1960)
- Father-son: A. McDonald (b. 1937) → D. Tennant (McDonald) (b. 1971)
- Father-Daughter-in-Law: J.A. Macdonald (b. 1874) → M.M. Macdonald (b. 1910)
Fictional characters
- Ronald McDonald, international fast-food franchise clown mascot and spokesman
- Steve McDonald, character in Coronation Street
See also
- McDonald v. Chicago
Ambiguous human name pages
- John Macdonald (disambiguation) (includes 'MacDonald'), John McDonald (disambiguation)
- Kevin McDonald (disambiguation)
- Ian McDonald (disambiguation)
- Michael MacDonald (disambiguation)
- Steve McDonald (disambiguation)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "MacDonald Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
- ↑ "McDonald Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Surnames in Scotland over the last 140 years". Occasional papers. General Register Office for Scotland. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
In this new survey of surnames, as in all previous surveys, we have not distinguished between the varying use of capital letters within surnames e.g. MacDonald/Macdonald. However, as in the previous two surveys, each spelling is noted separately in the tables e.g. McDonald/MacDonald.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 %freq = percentage of the sample population sharing a particular surname.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files/01surnames_tablea3a.pdf
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files/01surnames_tablea4.pdf Note: Quote from GROScotSurnames: "Note that McDonald is shown as more common than MacDonald in 1901, although given the uncertainties surrounding the spelling of these names it would seem wrong to regard this as significant."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files/01surnames_tablea3b.pdf
- ↑ macdonald Families Living in England and Wales in 1891 - Ancestry.com
- ↑ mcdonald Families Living in England and Wales in 1891 - Ancestry.com
- ↑ mcdonald Family History Facts 1880 - Ancestry.com
- ↑ macdonald Family History Facts 1880 - Ancestry.com
- ↑ mcdonald Family History Facts 1840 - Ancestry.com
- ↑ macdonald Family History Facts 1840 - Ancestry.com