MacAlasdair
Encyclopedia
MacAlasdair is a masculine surname
in Scottish Gaelic. The name translates into English
as "son of Alasdair
". The feminine form of the name is NicAlasdair, which translates into English as "daughter of Alasdair". These surnames originated as a patronyms, however they no longer refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. There are numerous Anglicised forms of MacAlasdair.
The Irish
form of MacAlasdair is Mac Alasdair. Other similar Irish surnames are Mac Alastair, Mac Alastruim and Mac Alsandair. The feminine forms of these surnames for unmarried females are Nic Alasdair, Nic Alastair, Nic Alastruim, and Nic Alsandair. The feminine forms for married females are Bean Mhic Alasdair, Bean Mhic Alastair, Bean Mhic Alastruim, and Bean Mhic Alsandair; these names can also be contracted to Mhic Alasdair, Mhic Alastair, Mhic Alastruim, and Mhic Alsandair.
The Irish and Scottish Gaelic have many Anglicised forms. The Scottish Gaelic name has been borne by a notable Scottish clan
, which was once seated on the south-west coast of Scotland. The Irish names have been borne by descendants of Scots who settled in the north of Ireland
.
as "son of Alasdair". Today, however, the surname
MacAlasdair does not refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. The name Alasdair is a Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the English Alexander
, which is derived from the Latin
form of the Greek
Alexandros. This Greek name
is composed of two elements: the first, alexein, meaning "to defend"; the second, aner, meaning "man" or "warrior" (the genitive of aner is andros). Alexander has been an extremely popular given name in Scotland
since the Middle Ages, when it was borne by three Scottish kings. The name was introduced into the country through Margaret
(died 1093), the Hungarian
-born wife of Malcolm III, King of Scots
; in time one of their sons became Alexander I, King of Scots
(died 1124).
One of the earliest instances of a form of MacAlasdair are records of "Ranald Makalestyr", who obtained a lease of lands in Arran
, in 1455. Ranald is later also referred to in documents as "Ranald Alexandri", and "Reginald McAlestir" (also "McAlestere" and "McAlestre").
The Scottish Gaelic MacAlasdair is rendered in Irish
as Mac Alasdair. Mac Alasdair translates into English as "son of Alasdar", and like the Scottish Gaelic form, the surname does not refer to the bearer's father. The given name
Alasdar is an Irish form of the English Alexander. The form of this Irish surname for unmarried females is Nic Alasdair; this name is actually a contracted form of Iníon Mhic Alasdair, which translates into English as "daughter of Mac Alasdair". The form of Mac Alasdair for married females is Bean Mhic Alasdair, which translates into English as "wife of Mac Alasdair"; this surname can also be represented in the contracted form Mhic Alasdair.
Mac Alastair
A similar Irish surname is Mac Alastair, which translates into English as "son of Alastar". The Irish Alastar is an equivalent of the English Alexander. Like, Mac Alasdair, this surname no longer refers to the bearer's father, and like Mac Alasdair feminine forms of the name include Nic Alastair, Bean Mhic Alastair, and Mhic Alastair.
Mac Alastruim
Another form of the name is Mac Alastruim, which translates into English as "son of Alastrom". The Irish Alastrom is an equivalent of the English Alexander. Feminine forms of Mac Alastruim include Nic Alastair, Bean Mhic Alastair, and Mhic Alastair.
Mac Alsandair
Another form of the Irish name is Mac Alsandair, which translates into English as "son of Alsandar". Feminine forms of Mac Alsandair include Nic Alsandair, Bean Mhic Alsandair, and Mhic Alsandair.
, Callister, Macalaster, Macalester, Macalister, Macallaster, MacAllister, Maccalister, McAllister
. Anglicised forms of Mac Alasdair include Alister, MacAlester, MacAlister, MacAllister, MacCalister, and MacCallister. Anglicised forms of Mac Alastair include Callister, MacAlister, MacAllister, MacCallister, MacEllister, MacAlester, MacClester, MacLester, and Lester. Anglicised forms of Mac Alastruim include MacElistrum, MacElestrim, MacEllistram. Anglicised forms of Mac Alsandair include Alexander, MacAlshander, MacAlshender, MacAlshinder, MacCalshander, MacElshander, and MacKalshander.
, a noted Scottish clan
that was historically seated on the south-west coast of Scotland
. These MacAlasdairs are a branch of Clan Donald
(Scottish Gaelic Clann Dhòmhnaill), although there has been confusion over who the identity of the clan's eponymous ancestor. As late as the late 19th century, it was claimed that the clan descended from Alasdair Òg
, son and heir of Aonghas Mòr
, son and heir of Dòmhnall
(died mid 13th century), the eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald. However a more modern understanding is that the clan's eponymous ancestor is Alasdair Mòr
(died 1299), younger son of Dòmhnall (eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald).
Bearers of the Irish Mac Alastair, and its various Anglicised forms, include descendants of Clan Donald who settled in what is today County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. Bearers of the Irish Mac Alastruim, and its various Anglicised forms, include a family centred in what is today County Kerry
, Republic of Ireland
; this family, according to Patrick Woulfe who wrote in the early 20th century, has been located in Kerry for centuries. According to Woulfe, Mac Alsandair, and associated Anglicised forms, are also of Scottish origin.
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
in Scottish Gaelic. The name translates into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "son of Alasdair
Alasdair
Alasdair is a Scottish Gaelic given name. The name is a Gaelic form of Alexander which has long been a popular name in Scotland. The personal name Alasdair is often Anglicised as Alistair, Alastair, and Alaster.-People named Alasdair:...
". The feminine form of the name is NicAlasdair, which translates into English as "daughter of Alasdair". These surnames originated as a patronyms, however they no longer refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. There are numerous Anglicised forms of MacAlasdair.
The Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
form of MacAlasdair is Mac Alasdair. Other similar Irish surnames are Mac Alastair, Mac Alastruim and Mac Alsandair. The feminine forms of these surnames for unmarried females are Nic Alasdair, Nic Alastair, Nic Alastruim, and Nic Alsandair. The feminine forms for married females are Bean Mhic Alasdair, Bean Mhic Alastair, Bean Mhic Alastruim, and Bean Mhic Alsandair; these names can also be contracted to Mhic Alasdair, Mhic Alastair, Mhic Alastruim, and Mhic Alsandair.
The Irish and Scottish Gaelic have many Anglicised forms. The Scottish Gaelic name has been borne by a notable Scottish clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
, which was once seated on the south-west coast of Scotland. The Irish names have been borne by descendants of Scots who settled in the north of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Etymology
The Scottish Gaelic MacAlasdair originated as a patronym, in the form of mac Alasdair, which translates into EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "son of Alasdair". Today, however, the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
MacAlasdair does not refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. The name Alasdair is a Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the English Alexander
Alexander
Alexander is a common male first name, and less common surname. The most famous is Alexander the Great, the King of Macedon who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.- Origin :...
, which is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
form of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
Alexandros. This Greek name
Greek name
-Given names:Greek given names can be derived from the Greco-Roman gods, along with Ancient Greek traditions, or from the Byzantine Empire as well as the Old and the New Testament and early Christian traditions...
is composed of two elements: the first, alexein, meaning "to defend"; the second, aner, meaning "man" or "warrior" (the genitive of aner is andros). Alexander has been an extremely popular given name in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
since the Middle Ages, when it was borne by three Scottish kings. The name was introduced into the country through Margaret
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland , also known as Margaret of Wessex and Queen Margaret of Scotland, was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Born in exile in Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England...
(died 1093), the Hungarian
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
-born wife of Malcolm III, King of Scots
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
; in time one of their sons became Alexander I, King of Scots
Alexander I of Scotland
Alexander I , also called Alaxandair mac Maíl Coluim and nicknamed "The Fierce", was King of the Scots from 1107 to his death.-Life:...
(died 1124).
One of the earliest instances of a form of MacAlasdair are records of "Ranald Makalestyr", who obtained a lease of lands in Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
, in 1455. Ranald is later also referred to in documents as "Ranald Alexandri", and "Reginald McAlestir" (also "McAlestere" and "McAlestre").
Feminine form
MacAlasdair is a masculine surname. The Scottish Gaelic form of this surname for females is NicAlasdair. This feminine name is composed of the prefix Nic- which is an abbreviated form of the Scottish Gaelic nighean which translates into English as "daughter". Like the masculine form of the surname, NicAlasdair no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father.Gaelic cognates
Mac AlasdairThe Scottish Gaelic MacAlasdair is rendered in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
as Mac Alasdair. Mac Alasdair translates into English as "son of Alasdar", and like the Scottish Gaelic form, the surname does not refer to the bearer's father. The given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
Alasdar is an Irish form of the English Alexander. The form of this Irish surname for unmarried females is Nic Alasdair; this name is actually a contracted form of Iníon Mhic Alasdair, which translates into English as "daughter of Mac Alasdair". The form of Mac Alasdair for married females is Bean Mhic Alasdair, which translates into English as "wife of Mac Alasdair"; this surname can also be represented in the contracted form Mhic Alasdair.
Mac Alastair
A similar Irish surname is Mac Alastair, which translates into English as "son of Alastar". The Irish Alastar is an equivalent of the English Alexander. Like, Mac Alasdair, this surname no longer refers to the bearer's father, and like Mac Alasdair feminine forms of the name include Nic Alastair, Bean Mhic Alastair, and Mhic Alastair.
Mac Alastruim
Another form of the name is Mac Alastruim, which translates into English as "son of Alastrom". The Irish Alastrom is an equivalent of the English Alexander. Feminine forms of Mac Alastruim include Nic Alastair, Bean Mhic Alastair, and Mhic Alastair.
Mac Alsandair
Another form of the Irish name is Mac Alsandair, which translates into English as "son of Alsandar". Feminine forms of Mac Alsandair include Nic Alsandair, Bean Mhic Alsandair, and Mhic Alsandair.
Anglicised forms
Anglicised forms of MacAlasdair, in use today, include AlexanderAlexander (surname)
Alexander is a surname in the English language. In some cases it is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic MacAlasdair. It is a somewhat common Scottish name and the region of Scotland where it traditionally is most commonly found is in the Highlands region of Scotland.*AJ Alexander , American...
, Callister, Macalaster, Macalester, Macalister, Macallaster, MacAllister, Maccalister, McAllister
McAllister (surname)
McAllister is a surname from Scotland and northern Ireland which is the anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Alasdair or son of Alasdair. Alasdair is the Gaelic form of the first name Alexander. According to [ancestry.com], as of 1920, it is most prevalent in the northeastern, southern and western parts...
. Anglicised forms of Mac Alasdair include Alister, MacAlester, MacAlister, MacAllister, MacCalister, and MacCallister. Anglicised forms of Mac Alastair include Callister, MacAlister, MacAllister, MacCallister, MacEllister, MacAlester, MacClester, MacLester, and Lester. Anglicised forms of Mac Alastruim include MacElistrum, MacElestrim, MacEllistram. Anglicised forms of Mac Alsandair include Alexander, MacAlshander, MacAlshender, MacAlshinder, MacCalshander, MacElshander, and MacKalshander.
Families
The surname MacAlasdair, and its various Anglicised forms, have been borne by members of Clan MacAlisterClan MacAlister
Clan MacAlister is a Scottish Clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The clan is the earliest branch to have split off from Clan Donald, claiming descent from Alasdair Mòr, son of Domhnall founder of Clan Donald. From Alasdair Mòr the clans takes its surname MacAlister; this surname is an Anglicisation...
, a noted Scottish clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
that was historically seated on the south-west coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. These MacAlasdairs are a branch of Clan Donald
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
(Scottish Gaelic Clann Dhòmhnaill), although there has been confusion over who the identity of the clan's eponymous ancestor. As late as the late 19th century, it was claimed that the clan descended from Alasdair Òg
Alexander Óg
Alexander Óg , Lord of Islay , was a Hebridean magnate active at the end of the 13th- and beginning of the 14th centuries...
, son and heir of Aonghas Mòr
Aonghas Mór
Aonghas Mór , also known as Aonghas a Íle and Aonghas mac Domhnaill , was the son of Domhnall mac Raghnaill, eponymous progenitor of Clan Donald.Aonghas Mór has been called "the first MacDonald" by one historian, namely...
, son and heir of Dòmhnall
Domhnall mac Raghnaill
Domhnall mac Raghnaill was a Hebridean noble in the late 12th- and early 13th-century. He is the eponymous progenitor of Clan Donald . For this reason some traditions accumulated around him in the Later Middle Ages and Early Modern period...
(died mid 13th century), the eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald. However a more modern understanding is that the clan's eponymous ancestor is Alasdair Mòr
Alasdair Mòr
Alasdair Mòr Mac Dòmhnaill was a younger son of Dòmhnall mac Raghnaill—the eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald. He first appears on record in 1253, when it is recorded as witnessing a charter by his brother, Aonghas Mór a Íle, to the Paisley Abbey...
(died 1299), younger son of Dòmhnall (eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald).
Bearers of the Irish Mac Alastair, and its various Anglicised forms, include descendants of Clan Donald who settled in what is today County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Bearers of the Irish Mac Alastruim, and its various Anglicised forms, include a family centred in what is today County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
; this family, according to Patrick Woulfe who wrote in the early 20th century, has been located in Kerry for centuries. According to Woulfe, Mac Alsandair, and associated Anglicised forms, are also of Scottish origin.
People with the surname
- Goraidh Mac Eachann MacAlasdairGoraidh Mac Eachann MacAlasdairGoraidh Mac Eachann MacAlasdair was born c. 1570-1580s, he became 5th of Loup, Chief of Clan MacAlister in 1587. He died in c. 1636 at Tarbert, Argyll, Scotland.-Biography:...
, (16th century), Scottish, Chief of Clan MacAlister - Eachann Mac Goraidh MacAlasdairEachann Mac Goraidh MacAlasdairEachann Mac Goraidh MacAlasdair , he became 6th of Loup, Chief of Clan MacAlister in 1636. He was hanged for treason at Whinny Hill, Kinlochkerran, Scotland in 1647.-Biography:Hector MacAlester became Chief of Clan MacAlister in 1636...
, (17th century), Scottish, Chief of Clan MacAlister