Surname MacNally - Meaning and Origin

MacNally: What does the surname MacNally mean?

The last name MacNally is a surname of Irish and Scottish origin, that is derived from the Gaelic ‘Mac an Fhailghigh’, meaning 'son of the stranger'. This name was given to people whose origins were beyond the borders of Gaelic regions.

The common variants of MacNally include McNally, MacAnally, Macn The name is often associated with the Irish Clan Mac Anally, a powerful Norman clan in Ulster. It is also related to the Mac Namara clan, whose original home was in Kilkenny.

The MacNally family is known to have originated in the Ulster regions of Ireland, with ancestral records located in County Monaghan, and particularly the towns of Monaghan and Cootehill. Various descendants of the surname are scattered throughout Ireland, Scotland, England, and North America.

The MacNally family of Ireland was granted a coat of arms as recently as 1922, when the family was raised to the ranks of nobility. This coat of arms is composed of a red shield, which features a silver chevron, three silver hearts, and two black cinquefoils (five-leaved flowers).

Throughout the centuries, the MacNally family has consistently been associated with education, career success, military service, and political activities. In addition to being highly respected business entrepreneurs, several MacNallys have also achieved prominence in government and medicine. The achievements of the members of the MacNally clan, combined with their commitment to Irish culture, have earned them a place of distinction in the history of Irish culture.

MacNally: Where does the name MacNally come from?

The surname MacNally is most common in the North West of England and Ireland. In England, Lancashire is the county where the surname is most concentrated and in Ireland, particularly in the Ulster counties of Mayo, Monaghan and Sligo.

The surname MacNally is of Irish origin, and comes from the Gaelic surname Mac an Fhailghigh, which translates as 'son of the brave one'. It is thought to have originated in what is now County Donegal, in the north west of Ireland. As was the case with other Irish surnames, it was brought to England by Irish immigrants when they left Ireland in the 1800s to seek work and better lives elsewhere.

Today, the majority of people named MacNally can trace their ancestry back to this Irish origin. Although it is still quite a rare name, it is somewhat more common in the areas with a larger settled Irish population.

There are variants of the surname, including McNally, McAnally and McNully, which can be especially common in America, where those with Irish roots can be found in all fifty states. Further afield there are also people carrying the MacNally surname in other countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where the Irish diaspora is still alive and well.

Variations of the surname MacNally

MacNally is an Irish surname descended from an ancient Gaelic sept called Mac Conghaile, (meaning 'son of Conall'). It is derived from the Irish first name Conall, which in turn is a form of the Gaelic name Conall Cernach. The initial spelling of the surname was Mac an Fhailigh, which was eventually anglicized to MacNally.

Variants of MacNally include MacNelly, MacNelly, McAnally, McEnally, McNally, McNeary, and McNerry. Spellings of the surname that start with 'Mc' would remain when the Ulster dialect of English was spoken in Ireland. However, other spellings that start with 'Mac' began to become popular in other parts of the country, especially in Scotland, because many of the Irish immigrants to Scotland would use the Gaelic spelling.

Surnames of MacNally origin include the Anglicized variants MacAnally and MacEnally. There are also many other spellings of MacNally that can be found in various countries, such as Macneal and MacNeal in Scotland, MacNail and MacNeill in the United States, and McNail in Australia and Canada.

There are also many other names of Irish origin that have been derived from the MacNally surname. These include the surnames McNailley, McNealy, McNeil, MacNealy, MacNeil, McNeilly, MacNeilley, Mconnel, McAnall, McInally, McAnelly, McInelly, MacAnaly, McEnaly, and MacAnole.

Famous people with the name MacNally

• Rachael MacNally: actress best known for roles in the movies The Theory of Everything and The Duty of Celebration
• Cole MacNally: actor known for roles in the series Shopkins and Game On
• Pat MacNally: NFL player who won a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers
• John MacNally: actor known for roles in the series My Mad Fat Diary, Vera, and Grantchester
• Sean MacNally: actor known for roles in the movies Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Pacific Rim Uprising
• Kevin MacNally: actor known for roles in the series Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey
• Mike MacNally: actor known for his role in the movie franchise Pirates of the Caribbean
• Michael MacNally: actor known for roles in the television series Suits and Shrill
• Maeve MacNally: actress known for roles in the television series Fargo and The Expanse
• Marc MacNally: actor and producer known for roles in the movie Pandemic and the television series Rogue

Other surnames

MacNalty