Surname McAlan - Meaning and Origin
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McAlan: What does the surname McAlan mean?
The surname McAlan is of Scottish origin and a derivative of the Gaelic name "Mac Ailein," which rationally means "son of Alan." Alan is a common Scottish and English given name, derived from the Breton name Alan, possibly meaning "little rock" or "handsome" in Breton. Historically, bearers of this surname have been associated with Clan MacFarlane, a Scottish Highland Clan known for their prowess in battle and close ties to the Stewart monarchs. It is a patronymic surname, which was common in Scotland, where a first name was traditionally passed from father to child, prefixed with 'Mac' to denote 'son of'. The Mc or Mac prefix was also used to denote clan affiliations in Scottish culture. Thus, while specifics on the meaning of McAlan may vary, it essentially signifies descent from a man named Alan. As with most surnames, families with the last name McAlan can likely be traced back to different ancestors, indicating a variety of lineage paths rather than a single family line.
Order DNA origin analysisMcAlan: Where does the name McAlan come from?
The surname McAlan is of Scottish origin. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Alan", which is thought to mean "little rock". The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" in Gaelic names signifies "son of", hence McAlan means "son of Alan".
The McAlan surname is not widely common. The most significant concentrations of people with this surname are currently found in the United States, specifically Maine, followed by New York, and New England. It's also used, to a lesser extent, in England, Scotland, and Canada. Detailed distribution and division numbers are not easily available due to the surname's relative rarity. It should be noted that the spelling of surnames may have evolved over the centuries due to transliteration between languages, historical shifts in spelling standards and errors, thus the McAlan surname may exist in several variants today.
Variations of the surname McAlan
The surname McAlan is of Scottish origin and signifies ‘son of Alan.’ Variations of this surname are largely due to different translations, transcriptions, and phonetic spellings over time, as well as regional differences.
Some variants and alternative spellings of this surname include: MacAlan, MacAllan, MacAllen, MacAlin, McAllen, McAlin, McAllan, MccAlan, M'Alan, and MackAlan. This name may sometimes be abbreviated to McAl or MacAl.
Similar surnames of Scottish or Gaelic origin include Allan, Allen, MacAllan, MacCallan, MacAlpin, and MacLennan. Other names may derive from the root name 'Alan' such as Alanson, Aland, Alano, Alani, and Allanach.
Another factor to consider is that Scottish surnames starting with ‘Mc’ or ‘Mac’ essentially carry the same meaning, as both prefixes mean ‘son of’. Thus, there might be other surnames starting with 'Mac' or 'Mc' followed by a name starting with 'A' or 'Al' that could be variants of McAlan.
Please note that the spelling and pronunciation of surnames can greatly vary even within the same family, making it quite challenging to list absolutely all possible variants.
Famous people with the name McAlan
- Glenn McCalum: Former American football player who played with the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals.
- Kevin McAlarney: Former American-Irish basketball player in the NBA.
- John McAlister: Former Scottish footballer who played for Aberdeen, Dundee United, Motherwell, and Falkirk FC.
- John McAlister: Professional golfer who won two PGA championships.
- John McAlister: Former Irish hurler who played with the Dublin Senior Hurling team.
- Joe McAlister: Canadian comedian and talk show host.
- Michael McAlister: Professional wrestler (WWE) and mixed martial artist.
- Robert McAlister: Canadian folk and rock musician.
- Michael McAlay: Formerly high-ranking official at the US Department of Commerce in the late 1980s.
- Patrick McAlister: Irish former professional footballer.