Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “McNeil” come from?

McNeil is an English surname derived from Scottish Gaelic Mac, a patronymic prefix meaning "son of."

Ancestry of “McNeil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scottish GaelicMac Néill—
2Scottish GaelicNiallpossibly "the champion
3Old IrishNíall—
Every word from Old Irish Níall →