Author Topic: MacKay or McConeil - what's in a name?  (Read 2215 times)

Offline AncesStory

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MacKay or McConeil - what's in a name?
« on: Tuesday 14 April 15 21:58 BST (UK) »
Our 5 x G Gmother is given the maiden name of  Margaret MacKay (McConeil) of Reay, Caithness,  in her marriage registration of December 1786. There seems to be a lack of consistency of her maiden name in official documents.  I understand that in Reay, Caithness, in the late 18th century her family was most likely Gaelic – the family retained the Gaelic for another century at least. Is the name McConeil a patronymic, (named after Margaret’s father or Grandfather) or does the name McConeil relate to the clan she was affiliated with or is another name she would have been known by?
If her name is a patronymic, does her name  McConeil mean son of Conel, son of Donald or son of Neil  or something else?
DUFFUS of Edinburgh, Scotland/Murray/Coulter/Anderson/Cauvin/McGillivray/Carstairs
FALLEN, /Dunbartonshire & Partick /Cherry/Main/Gallacher
SCOTT of Gladsmuir/Pencaitland East Lothian
STEVEN of  Caithness, Edinburgh, Scotland/Campbell/Calder/McManus/Waugh/Hoy/Cadzian
McKENZIE of Glenisla, Forfarshire/Farquharson/Robertson/Jack/McNicol/Tosh

Offline AncesStory

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Re: MacKay or McConeil - what's in a name?
« Reply #1 on: Friday 06 November 15 20:20 GMT (UK) »
Having researched Margaret Mackay some more, it may be that her maiden surname as on her marriage certificate of Dec 29 1786,Reay, Caithness - MacConeil(Mackay) - means McDonald (Mackay).  According to Black, ( Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland: their origin, meaning and history), the surname Macdonald, and the pronunciation of its Gaelic form Mac Dhomhnuill,  gave rise to numerous recorded variants such as M’conill, M’oneill, Makconeil.

It is possible that Alexander Campbell of Reay married a Margaret McDonald rather than McKay?
DUFFUS of Edinburgh, Scotland/Murray/Coulter/Anderson/Cauvin/McGillivray/Carstairs
FALLEN, /Dunbartonshire & Partick /Cherry/Main/Gallacher
SCOTT of Gladsmuir/Pencaitland East Lothian
STEVEN of  Caithness, Edinburgh, Scotland/Campbell/Calder/McManus/Waugh/Hoy/Cadzian
McKENZIE of Glenisla, Forfarshire/Farquharson/Robertson/Jack/McNicol/Tosh