Surname McMeachen - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'M'
McMeachen: What does the surname McMeachen mean?
The surname McMeachen is of Scottish origin and falls under the category of patronymic names, which are derived from the given name of the father. Although specific meanings are hard to find, it’s likely a derivative of a Gaelic surname, where "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of". In many Celtic names, the second part of the surname can represent a personal characteristic, occupation, or location. However, the exact meaning or the original Gaelic name for McMeachen isn't evident in most common sources, suggesting it may have had several evolutions or variations over time. Like many other surnames, it could have also been Anglicized when families migrated to English-speaking countries, altering its original form. The family crest and coat of arms suggest the family had a significant history in Scotland. The study of genealogy would provide more precise and personalized details of the name history and lineage for individuals carrying the McMeachen surname.
Order DNA origin analysisMcMeachen: Where does the name McMeachen come from?
The surname McMeachen has its roots in Scotland, specifically derived from the Gaelic language. The "Mc" prefix usually means "son of" in Gaelic, indicating a patronymic lineage. Despite its Scottish origins, tracking specific historical information about the last name McMeachen might be challenging due to the variations in spelling over the centuries including McGeachan, McKechnie, and others.
Today, it's not considered a common surname globally, particularly in its initial homeland, Scotland. Most McMeachens can likely be found in countries that have experienced significant Scottish migration. North America, predominately in the United States and Canada, could be likely places to find individuals bearing the last name McMeachen due to considerable numbers of Scottish immigrants in the past centuries. Also, pockets of McMeachens may probably be found in countries such as Australia or New Zealand.
As with any surname, exact geographic prevalence can be challenging to define without specific census data or large-scale demographic surveys. The McMeachen name's distribution might be quite scattered, given patterns of global migration and the passage of time since the name first originated.
Variations of the surname McMeachen
The surname McMeachen has Scottish origins and is quite rare, which can potentially limit the number of variants. Similar surnames that are often linked through various records include McMeekin, McMeekan, McMechan, MacMechan, McMeeking, Meachen, McMichen, and McMichael. Some other possible but less common variants could include McMeichen, McMichan, or McMeeken.
Often these surnames carry prefixes such as 'Mac' or 'Mc', both of which mean 'son of' in the Gaelic language. Some less common prefixes that can be attached to the root word, "Meachen," may include 'O' or 'Fitz'. For instance, O’Meachen or FitzMeachen, however, these are generally associated with Irish and Norman origin respectively.
It's also potential that some variants of McMeachen could exist without any prefix at all, for example, simply Meachen or Meakin. Given that surnames often changed (either by accident or intentional) when families emigrated to new countries, it's possible such variations exist especially in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where Scottish emigration was prevalent. Therefore, an extensive genealogical search would be needed to cover all possible variations.
Famous people with the name McMeachen
- Les McMeachen: A Canadian Professional Hockey Player from the 1960s, playing Partway through the 1960-61 season.
- Chad McMeachen: An American yoga and meditation coach, and author of the book “Yoga The Foundations of Practice”.
- Mark McMeachen: An American fire service veteran, who has served many positions in both the fire service and fire fighting departments.
- Irene McMeachen: A Canadian born singer, songwriter, and storyteller who has been recording since the late 1960s.
- Justin McMeachen: An Australian physicist, who has worked in a number of cutting-edge fields, such as quantum physics and quantum computing.
- Matt McMeachen: An American music producer, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, who has worked with acts such as Snoop Dogg, Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, and The Black Eyed Peas.
- Daniel McMeachen: An American actor, who has appeared on TV shows such as Shameless and Grantchester and films such as Edge of Darkness and Counselor at Law.
- Georgia McMeachen: An American journalist and author, with bylines in places such as The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Atlantic.
- Alex McMeachen: An English actor, known for roles in films such as The Other Boleyn Girl, 10 Things I Hate About You, and In Time.
- Michael McMeachen: An American author and poet, who has written numerous books such as “The Last Summer of Youth” and “The Last Poems of William Butler Yeats.”