MacLeod

MacLeod
Pronunciation	/məˈklaʊd/
Gender	Unisex
Language(s)	English
Origin
Language(s)	1. Scottish Gaelic 2. Irish 3. Irish Various others across British Empire (e.g. Cree language)
Word/Name	1. MacLeòid 2. Mac Leóid 3. Mac Giolla Mochadha
Other names
Variant(s)	Macleod, McLeod, M‘Leod
Families
Clan MacLeod, Clan MacLeod of Lewis

MacLeod and McLeod /məˈklaʊd/ are surnames in the English language. Variant forms of the names are Macleod, M‘Leod and Maclot.

Generally, the names are considered to be Anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic MacLeòid, meaning "son of Leòd". However, in some cases the names can also be Anglicised forms of the Irish Mac Leóid. Another origin for the name, according to late 19th-century Irish genealogist John O'Hart, is from the Irish Mac Giolla Mochadha (commonly Anglicised as MacGillicudy).

One of the earliest occurrences of the surname is of Gillandres MacLeod, in 1227. There are two recognised Scottish clans with the surname: Clan MacLeod of Harris and Skye, and Clan MacLeod of Lewis and Raasay. The earliest record of these two families, using a form of the surname MacLeod, occurs in the mid 14th century.

There are also documented cases of Scottish missionaries in Canada using McLeod as an "Anglicisation" of the indigenous Cree language name Mahkiyoc (meaning "the big one"), which accounts for its occurrence amongst Canadian people of Cree heritage.

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Wikipedia