Where does “Macdonald” come from?
Macdonald is an English form of the Scottish Gaelic Mac Dhòmhnaill, a patronymic meaning "son of Domhnall."
Ancestry of “Macdonald”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Donald | — |
| 2 | Scottish Gaelic | Dòmhnall | — |
| 3 | Old Irish | Domnall | — |
| 4 | Proto-Celtic | Dubnowalos | prince/chief of the world; prince / chief of the... |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | dubnos | deep; world |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewbʰ- | deep |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
Words derived from “Macdonald”