Surname MacNish - Meaning and Origin
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MacNish: What does the surname MacNish mean?
The surname MacNish is of Scottish origin and is derived from the Gaelic name "MacNeis," which means "son of Neis." This indicates that the original bearer of the name MacNish was the son of a man named Neis. The name Neis itself is believed to be a variant of the name Angus or Aonghus, meaning "unique strength." The prefix "Mac" is common in Scottish and Irish surnames, where it is used to denote "son of." Therefore, the surname MacNish signifies lineage and ancestry. It's important to note that the spelling of surnames may have changed over centuries due to a variety of factors such as migration, regional dialects, and phonetic spelling. Thus, the surname MacNish might appear in different forms such as MacNeish, MacNess, MacNie, or other similar variations. The bearers of the surname MacNish are largely found in the region of Argyll and Bute in Scotland.
Order DNA origin analysisMacNish: Where does the name MacNish come from?
The last name MacNish is of Scottish origin and has its roots in the Gaelic language. The name is derived from the Gaelic "MacNeis" which means "son of Neis". The surname first appeared in Perthshire, a historic county and registration county in central Scotland.
In the modern world, the name MacNish is relatively rare, but most common in Scotland, followed by countries with significant Scottish diaspora such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. However, the distribution of the MacNish surname in these countries is still quite limited.
Variations of this surname include MacNeish, McNeish, McNish, and others which can impact the overall prevalence of the name. Despite these variations and its rare occurrence, the name MacNish continues to be carried down through generations of Scottish heritage.
Variations of the surname MacNish
The surname MacNish has Scottish origins and is associated with the Clan MacNeish/MacNish, originating in the Perthshire and Stirlingshire regions. It is common for surnames to have multiple variants, created through misspellings, translations, phonetic transcriptions, etc. For MacNish, variants include MacNeish, McNeish, McNeish, McNish, MacNish and even MacNeash.
Sometimes, versions of the surname may appear without the prefix "Mac" or "Mc", such as Nish or Neish. These two forms could also be encountered as Niesh or Kneesh. Additionally, the names might have a "c" added like Nisch or Neisch.
Ancestor names may even appear as M'Nish or M'Niesh, harkening back to the older way of abbreviations. The combining of the prefix with the surname, resulting in names like Macnish, Macneish, Mcnish or Mcneish is considered another variant.
In other translations or regional dialects, the surname has appeared as Macknish or Mackneish. These variants are less common but still related.
Despite the various spellings, it is essential to remember that all these versions of the surname MacNish trace back to the same origin they represent.
Famous people with the name MacNish
- Angus MacNish: Former New Zealand parliamentarian and mayor of Pound Richmond, New Zealand
- Anna MacNish: Australian singer
- Andrew MacNish: Australian screenwriter and director
- Chris MacNish: Canadian hockey player
- Gav MacNish- Scottish football manager
- Jackie MacNish: English fashion icon
- Peter MacNish: Canadian lawyer
- Robert MacNish: Scottish theologian
- Sam MacNish: British actor
- Tessa MacNish: Australian Women's Studies pioneer
- Patrick MacNish: Irish poet
- Kenny MacNish: American writer
- James MacNish: Australian cricketer
- William MacNish: English zoologist
- Anne MacNish: Scottish illustrator
- Shirley MacNish: Canadian journalist
- David MacNish: Canadian theatre director
- Bruce MacNish: New Zealand artist
- Neil MacNish: Scottish kids' and family entertainer
- Michael MacNish: American radio commentator