McDonald

Male– •GV4M-JM1

Scottish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Domhnaill ‘son of Domhnall’, a name derived from the Celtic elements domno- ‘world’ + val- ‘might, rule’. Donald is an Anglicized form (via Latin) of this personal name used in Scotland, though the surname is also widespread in Ireland. The name is equivalent to Irish McDonnell and McConnell , and to Manx Cannell .

History: This is the name of the largest and most disparate of the Scottish clans (Clan Donald), associated in particular with the Hebrides and claiming descent from Domhnall mac Raghnaill mac Somhairle, who lived in the late 12th century. From that time until 1493 the head of the clan was known as Lord (or King) of the Isles. The reigns of the Lords of the Isles were always stormy, often in conflict with the kings of Scotland, and peppered with disasters. After a series of defeats in the 1480s, Eoin Mac Dhomhnaill a Ìle (John Macdonald of Islay, Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles) forfeited his lands, his power, and his title as Lord of the Isles in 1493 to King James IV of Scotland. By then, a branch of the family had settled in the Antrim Glens in Ireland and members moved between the southern Hebrides and Ireland throughout the 16th century.