Irish names: What does Mc stand for? Does Mac mean the same in Scottish names?

Question:Is Mc or Mac like Son-of ?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Is Mc or Mac like Son-of ?

Mac at the beginning of a surname is Gaelic for son of. Mc is an abbreviation that came to be used in some cases. Some people will try to tell you that one is Scottish and the other is Irish. This is not true I have seen both used in surnames from each country. While I am on it the O' before Irish surnames comes from a Gaelic word that means grandson of. The apostrophe is not really an apostrophe -in Gaelic spelling is a fada, a diacritical mark used in Gaelic.

mac Niall = son of Niall - modern MacNeil or McNeil

Uí Niall = grandson of Niall-modern O' Neil or O'Neal

Once upon a time women also used "na" , daughter of as a prefix to a patronymic. Who is now named Maureen O'Brien ( from Uí Briain ) would centuries ago have been
Maureen na Briain.

Yeah Jock, I agree that the Scottish Gaels come from the septs of the Uí Niall Clan. My own background is Dal gCaís and Eoganacht-southern Ireland.
Slán agus beannacht leat.

yeah mac means son of in scotland and mc means son of in gaelich in ireland.

yeah its like son of

I believe it signifies a clan or a family transcendence; as such, it is essentially a possessive surname.

Mc, Mac and Fitz means son of

The prefix O means descendant of.

That does not mean every McDonald is related. No doubt there was more than one Donald that had sons.

Yes, if you are a guy for example MacLeod (McLeod)
If you are a lady that would be Nicleod (NcLeod)

bassmeis...yes you'll have seen people with Mc in Scotland too, but if you dig down you'll find ther ancestors are from Ireland, probably the Northern half of Ireland too, just as are the O,Neill's