MacAilean or MacGillean ? Help with surname origin

[crb83]

Hello everyone, this has been nagging at me a bit the past year or so and I thought I'd come ask rootschat since I'm not familiar with certain area dialects.  My ancestors were McLains and while digging further and further back over the years I found more an more variants leaning toward a different pronunciation. In the early 1700s I find a few "McClene" "McKalline" transcriptions in ireland but as I get back to circa 1600 and beyond in Dumfriesshire the majority of the name spellings seem like the name is pronounced "Mac-a-leen" or "Muck-Lee-in". I was wondering if this was just a galwegian dialect for MacGillean or did the surname in fact come from a MacAilean (Mac-ay-leen) and not a MacGillean (Mac-il-ayn).  I'm going to go ahead and go through all my records and list the surname spellings that seem to indicate a different pronunciation. I will only list those which I know are my line and their immediate family as to not confuse with other people in the area with a similar name. FYI the family was in Nithsdale/Dumfries probably earlier than 1400 and my line came to Ulster in the 1620s. 

1546:  John M'ileyne, Sir Thos Mackileyne
1547:  John M'Gellane
1549:  John M'Clein
1556:  Gilbert M'Clein
1570:  Jon M'clein
1570:  Johnne Macalein
1570:  John m'Clein
1574:  Johne MakClyne, Sir Thos McClyne, Geo. McClyne
1598:  Gilbert McClane
1598:  Gilbert McClein
1606:  Andro McKlein
1607:  Elisoune McKlane
1609:  Christiann McKlein
1610:  John McClein, Gilbert McCleane
1610:  Thos McKlein
1616:  Gilbert Makclein, Gilbert Macleine, Gilbert Maklein, Gilbert McClein
1617:  Gilbert MakClane, Gilbert McLane, John M'Lein, William M'Lein
1618:  John Makclane, Gilbert MakClein
1620:  John McClene
1621:  Jon McCleane
1622:  Thomas Makclein, Gilbert Maklene, Johnne MacClaine
1622:  Marg't McCleene
1623:  John McClane
1624:  Gilbert McCleane

IRELAND

1630:  Gilbert McLyne, Michael McCallyne, John McCulyne, Humphrey McCollyne, William McClene
1642:  John M'Cleane, Thos M'Cleane, Thos McCleene, John McCleene, William McCallane
1663:  Archiball M'Clene, Wm M'Clene, John McKline, Stephen McClene, John McOlane, Andrew McCLean, Daniel McKillane, Patrick M'Clene
1665:  John Machilane, Owen Machilane, Thos McKalline, Andrew M'Clane
1668: Andrew McClane, John McClane
1669:  James McAlane
1683:  Daniell McCleane
1685:  Archiballd MacLane
1709: John McClene
1717: Andrew McClene, Mary Macklane, John Maclane

All spellings here after are variants pronounced Maclaine. What are some of the thoughts of the experienced genealogists?

[Skoosh]

Mac,   Trotter's excellent book, "Galloway Gossip" of 1901 has,

MacLean (real name), pronounced MaClean, familiarly Claen, genteel wey MacLean/Clone.

MacLanachan (real name), pronounced MaClennachan, familiarly Clennachan, genteel wey McLean/McClean.

MacLanerach (real name), pronounced MaClennerach, familiarly Clennery, genteel wey McLean/Hendry.

Skoosh.
 

[sancti]

I have never got too hung up on the spelling of names as the names were recorded by the person hearing it. I have came across records in my family where the surname is recorded differently for 3 baptisms of children.

Scottish, English and Irish accents would only add to the confusion.

[Forfarian]

Interesting query.

MacAilean, (pronounced "mac-aalan" not "mac-ay-leen") means 'son of Allan' , and at one more remove, as Mac Mhic Ailean, (pronounced "mac-vic-aalan", meaning 'son of the son of Allan', is a patronymic of the chief of Clanranald.

MacLean with variants is from Mac Gille Eoin, 'son of the servant of John' so is, in theory, an entirely different surname.

But who knows how either of them could have got mangled in the process of transliterating them into something that might look pronounceable to a non-Gaelic-speaking person.