Surname McKnealy - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'M'
McKnealy: What does the surname McKnealy mean?
The last name "McKnealy" is of Scottish origin and is derived from the Gaelic name "Mac an Fhleisdeir," which translates to "son of the arrow-maker." The prefix "Mac" or "Mc" commonly appears in surnames of Celtic origin, meaning "son of." Hence, someone with the last name McKnealy can be understood as being the son or descendant of an arrow-maker. Like many surnames of occupational origin, McKnealy likely began as a way to identify individuals by their line of work or their father's line of work. The name is particularly associated with the regions of Perth and Renfrew in Scotland.
Order DNA origin analysisMcKnealy: Where does the name McKnealy come from?
The surname McKnealy is of Scottish origin. The prefix "Mc" is of Gaelic origin, which denotes "son of." Therefore, McKnealy could mean "son of Knealy." This name is not particularly common anywhere in the world today. It is sporadically spread across different countries, with no significant concentration in any particular country. It might be found in countries where Scottish people have migrated over the centuries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and other parts of the world. However, the overall global prevalence of this surname is relatively low.
Variations of the surname McKnealy
The surname McKnealy is of Irish origin and is relatively rare. As with many Celtic names, it has been anglicized and adapted in various ways over time, resulting in a number of spelling and variant forms. Forms similar to McKnealy could be spelled MacKnealy, McNealy, MacNealy, McAnally, MacAnally, McEnally, MacEnally, McKneely, MacKneely, McNeely, MacNeely and so on. These variations mainly occurred due to phonetics and local dialects during the time of registration.
The Mc or Mac prefix in these names is of Gaelic origin, literally meaning "son of". The second part of the name can also vary depending on the phonetic translation. For instance, the surname could possibly be related to "Mac an Fhailí" (son of the wolf) or "Mac Con Uladh" (son of the hound of Ulster) in Gaelic, both of which have been anglicized in a number of ways, sometimes quite distantly from the original.
Ultimately, proving direct connections between these related surnames would require genealogical research. However, keeping these possibilities in mind can be helpful since surname variation is common in genealogy and could lead to finding new branches of a family tree.
Famous people with the name McKnealy
- Kyle McKnealy: an American mixed martial artist.
- Jeff McKnealy: an American game designer.
- Charity McKnealy: an American actress and comedian.
- Audrey McKnealy: an American fitness model and online fitness trainer.
- Zach McKnealy: an American football safety.
- William McKnealy: an American composer and electric violonist.
- Jackson McKnealy: an American actor and model.
- Joe McKnealy: an American kickboxer and martial artist.
- Bob McKnealy: an American singer, songwriter and musician.
- Mark McKnealy: an American baseball pitcher.