Surname MacNab - Meaning and Origin
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MacNab: What does the surname MacNab mean?
The surname MacNab is a Scottish name of Gaelic origin. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic ‘mac an aba’ meaning ‘son of the abbot’. The surname is associated with Clan Macnab of Scotland. The clan originated in the 12th century and were a family of chiefs in the Lennox district of Scotland. In the Middle Ages, the MacNab chiefs were known for their devotion to Robert the Bruce.
Today, MacNab is an uncommon surname and can be found in both Scotland and Ireland. In Scotland, the population is centred on the western lowlands and the greater Glasgow area. It is not quite as prevalent in Ireland, but has a presence in the long-established Scottish-Irish communities of the north and east.
The MacNab surname and Clan Macnab were considered brave and battle-hardened one-time warlords of Scotland, and their name continues to be associated with honour and strength.
Order DNA origin analysisMacNab: Where does the name MacNab come from?
The last name MacNab is mainly found in Scotland today. The ancestral home of the MacNab clan is located on a large lake in Perthshire in the west of Scotland. Many of the clan left Scotland in the 17th and 18th centuries and are now found across the UK and various other countries.
Some of the most common places with a high concentration of MacNab families include Scotland, Ireland, the UK, Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand. The number of people with the surname MacNab is estimated to be between 5,000 and 8,000 worldwide.
The majority of those bearing the MacNab name are descendants of Calum MacFibh, the 8th Chief of Clan MacNab. Calum had four sons who spread across Scotland and propagated the name. Calum’s descendents also spread to other countries creating branches of the MacNab family that exist throughout the world.
Today, there are many descendants of Calum MacFibh around the world. Some of the main MacNab clans still remain in the ancestral lands of Scotland, but their descendants are found across much larger areas than just Scotland. There are numerous MacNab families in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and Australia among others.
Variations of the surname MacNab
The MacNab family name has several possible variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. Names from the same root could be found spelled as MacNab, MacAnab, MacYnab, MacNabb, and MacNabbe.
MacNab is a traditional Scottish surname, with its earliest known mention in an ancient record belonging to a 14th century Clan of the same name -- the Clan MacNab. The Gaelic name of the clan was Mac an Aba, which is itself derived from Mac an Ab, meaning "son of Abbot".
The MacNab family have been recorded in Great Britain since at least the 14th century, and the spelling of its name has changed considerably over time, giving rise to several regional variations. The spelling of the name was often determined by which dialect of Scots was spoken in the region of the family. In some areas of Scotland, the surname is refused the distinctive 'Nab' ending, and is spelled as MACAB, MACGIBA, MACCUBBIN, and MACONABE.
In Ireland, variants of the surname are often Anglicized as MacAnab or MacCabe. The Irish forms of the surname are derived from the Irish Gaelic term Mac an Aba, which is also the traditional Scottish form.
In America, the names are typically Americanized to MacNab, MacNabb, MacNabbe, McNab, or McNabb. The MacNab name is also found in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, often in its Anglicised form, MacNab.
Although there are many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for the MacNab family name, the one common link between them is their unique and ancestral beginning as a High-Positioned Scottish Clan -- the Clan MacNab.
Famous people with the name MacNab
- Angus MacNab, former leader of the Federal Liberal Party of Canada
- Alexander MacNab, Canadian statesman and lawyer
- Dave MacNab, former Canadian ice hockey player
- Doug MacNab, former Canadian ice hockey player
- John MacNab, former Canadian ice hockey player
- Margaret MacNab, the first Canadian woman to serve as a nurse
- Neil MacNab, Canadian poet and playwright
- Robert MacNab, First Nations artist and designer from the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk First Nation
- Stephen MacNab, Canadian poet and novelist
- Alexandra MacNab, Canadian actress
- Bonnie MacNab, Canadian fashion, costume, and theatre designer
- Mairi MacNab, Canadian children's writer
- Roy MacNab, Canadian go-karting champion