Surname Mc Ghie - Meaning and Origin
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Mc Ghie: What does the surname Mc Ghie mean?
The surname Mc Ghie is of Scottish and Irish origin, meaning it is believed to derive from a Gaelic name Mac Aoidh. It is a variation of the surname Mac Ghee, which is a patronymic name derived from the personal name Aoidh, a variant of the greek name Aegeus.
The name is believed to have been brought to Ireland and Scotland by Norse settlers during the 9th and 10th century during the Viking invasions. It appears in the historical record dating back to the 13th century when a David Mc Ghee appears in a land grant.
The name has since spread throughout Scotland and Ireland and is still very common in both countries. In the last recorded census in Scotland in 2019, Mc Ghie was listed as the 229th most common surname in the country with 3,000 people going by the name.
In Ireland, the name is generally cited as being of Ulster-Scots origin, referring to a group of settlers who moved from different parts of Scotland into the 17th and 19th centuries. The name is still widely found in the area, being the 282nd most common surname in Ireland as of 2020.
The name is often associated with strong family values, with many families proudly passing down their own traditions and stories through the generations.
Order DNA origin analysisMc Ghie: Where does the name Mc Ghie come from?
The last name Mc Ghie is most common in Scotland and Northern Ireland today. It is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Aoidh, which stemmed from the gender-neutral personal name Aoidh. It was most often used as a prefix in a patronymic/matronymic last name form, with the name it was attached to changing over generations.
In Scotland, Mc Ghie can be found predominantly in Aberdeenshire, Angus, and North Ayrshire. The highest concentrations of this last name seem to be in the cities of Glasgow, and Edinburgh, and in the Highland region. In Northern Ireland, Mc Ghie is common in many of the urbanised counties across the Province, including Donegal, Down, and Antrim.
Regarding the etymology of Mc Ghie, it is thought to stem from the name Aoidh, which is a Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic personal name. The name is thought to derive from the Old Irish name Éide, which in turn is thought to derive from the Proto-Celtic name *Aidus. This root word is likely derived from the latin term "Aedas" meaning "fire", and it likely reflects the bright embers of a fire, as a metaphor for someone who was seen as a light in their community.
Mc Ghie is perhaps most easily recognised in the last name of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns, who was known to anglicise his last name as Burness - a variant of Burns Mc Ghie.
Variations of the surname Mc Ghie
The surname Mc Ghie has several variants, spellings, and even surnames of the same origin. The most common variant is McGhie, which can also be found as MacGhie, MacGhee, and MacGhe. These variations, of course, can also be found with the ‘Mc’ at the beginning or ‘Ghee’ at the end.
McGhie may have originally been a form of the Gaelic Mac Aoidh, derived from the Irish first name Aodh, meaning fire. There are also certain surnames of the same origin that can be linked to Mc Ghie.
The Gaelic form MacAoidh became McGhie or MacGhie in Scotland after the 14th century. As such, there are certain variations of this name in other countries such as M’Ghee in Northern Ireland, MacGhee in England, and MacGhe in the United States.
In addition, certain American spellings of the surname Mc Ghie can also be found such as McGhee, MacGhee, and MacGhey.
It is also interesting to note that some spelling variations of the surname Mc Ghie have merged and been used interchangeably. For instance, some individuals may spell their name both McGhie and MacGhie.
Whatever the spelling, the surname Mc Ghie is a Celtic Scottish surname with a rich and interesting history.
Famous people with the name Mc Ghie
- Brendan Mc Ghie: U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Former U.S. Navy SEAL
- David Mc Ghie: British civil servant
- Gordon Mc Ghie: English former professional footballer
- Hugh Mc Ghie: English professional footballer
- John Mc Ghie: British lawyer and Conservative politician
- Janet Mc Ghie: Canadian politician
- John Mc Ghie: Founder of the Wits University School of Mining Engineering
- Brian Mc Ghie: Northern Irish Royal Navy submariner and politician
- George Mc Ghie: Former chief executive of Dundee-based textiles company Wm Mc Ghie & Co Ltd
- Encounter Mc Ghie: British actor and activist