| Gender | Masculine |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | Scottish Gaelic |
| Other gender | |
| Feminine | NicLeòid |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Scottish Gaelic |
| Derivation | mac +Leòid |
| Meaning | "son" or "daughter" "ofLeòd". |
MacLeòid or MhicLeòid (in the genitive case) is a masculinesurname inScottish Gaelic. The name translates intoEnglish as "son ofLeòd", and the feminine form isNicLeòid: a contraction of "Nighean-Mhic-Leòid", meaning "daughter of the son of Leòd." These surnames originated aspatronymic names; however, they no longer refer to the actual name of the bearer's father or grandfather. There are numerousAnglicised forms ofMacLeòid.
TheScottish GaelicMacLeòid originated as apatronym, in the form ofmac Leòid, which translates intoEnglish as "son ofLeòd". Today, however, thesurnameMacLeòid does not refer to the actual name of the bearer's father. The nameLeòd is a Scottish Gaelic derivative of theOld Norse personal nameLjótr. This Old Norsepersonal name is composed of an element which translates into English as "ugly".[1][2]
MacLeòid is a masculine surname. The Scottish Gaelic form of this surname for females isNicLeòid. This feminine name is composed of the prefixNic- which is anabbreviated form of the Scottish Gaelicnighean-mhic which translates into English as "daughter of the son."[3] Like the masculine form of the surname,NicLeòid no longer refers to the actual name of the bearer's father.
Anglicised forms ofMacLeòid, in use today, includeMacLeod,[1]McCloud,[1]McLeod,[4]McLoud.[4] Anglicised forms ofMac Leóid includeMacLeod,MacCleod, andMacCloud. According to late 19th-century Irish genealogistJohn O'Hart, the EnglishMacLeod is also an Anglicised form of the IrishMac Giolla Mochadha, which isetymologically unrelated toMacLeòid andMac Leóid.[5]
An early record of the surname is of GillandresMacLeod, in 1227.[1][2] Gillandres was likely a member of a noted clerical family that descended fromLeod, a 12th-century'abbot' of Brechin.[6] The surnameMacLeòid, and its various Anglicised forms, have also been borne by members of Clan MacLeod,[2] a once powerfulScottish clan, seated on the west coast ofScotland. The leading branches of the clan are theMacLeods of MacLeod. who are seated onSkye; and theMacLeods of Lewis, who were historically seated onLewis.[note 1] The MacLeods of Clan MacLeod derive their surname fromLeod, a shadowy figure who does not appear in contemporary records, but is thought to have lived in the 13th century. The first members of the family to appear in contemporary records areMalcolm MacLeod andTorquil MacLeod, who are recorded in aroyal charter in about the year 1343.