Surname McQuillen - Meaning and Origin
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McQuillen: What does the surname McQuillen mean?
The surname McQuillen is of Irish origin and is usually considered a derivative of the Gaelic surname Mac Uighilin, which in English is McQuillan. The prefix 'Mac' or 'Mc' in Irish surnames denotes 'son of', while Uighilin is a diminutive form of the personal name 'Hugelin', a variant of Hugh, so the surname effectively translates to 'son of little Hugh'. Like many Irish surnames, McQuillen is thought to originate in a specific region, which in this case is the Antrim area in Northern Ireland where the clan McQuillan was historically powerful. As with many surnames, the spelling can vary and include versions such as McQuillan, McQuillin, McQuillian, and more. Recognizing the various spellings is important for genealogical research. As it often happens with transcriptions of names from one language to another, variations in spellings occur due to differences in phonetic interpretations.
Order DNA origin analysisMcQuillen: Where does the name McQuillen come from?
The surname McQuillen is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Uighilin" which translates to "son of Hugelin." It's a patronymic surname that reflects the given name of the original bearer's father. The name primarily originates from the Antrim region in Northern Ireland, where the McQuillen family held a family seat as Lords of the Estate. Variations of the spelling include Quillan, Quillin, McQuillan, and others.
Today, the surname is found worldwide due to the Irish diaspora, but it's more commonly found in countries that saw high rates of Irish immigration, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. However, the largest concentration of people with the McQuillen surname continues to be in Northern Ireland.
Variations of the surname McQuillen
The surname McQuillen is of Irish origin and is a variant of MacQuillin, which is itself a variant of Mac Uighilín meaning "son of Hulk" or "holly". Other variants or alternate spellings could include McQuillin, McQuillan, MacQuillan, McQuilkin, and McQuilliam.
However, astoundingly diverse spellings have often emerged of even a single surname. Variants could also emerge due to translation from Gaelic to English, regional accents, and phonetic spellings. Therefore, it's also possible to encounter more distantly related variants like MacQuillion, McQuillin, MacQuillon, MacQuillian, McCullen etc. These can still be connected to the original surname.
Uncommon versions could have additional or fewer letters, switched letters, or letters replaced by phonetically similar ones, such as McQuelen, McQuelen, McQuilan, or McQuelen.
It should also be noted that the prefixes Mc, Mac, and even M' can be used interchangeably in most Irish and Scottish surnames and they generally mean "son of." Therefore, names starting with any of these prefixes could potentially be a variant or related surname. The surnames are often anglicized during immigration which further leads to spelling variations.
Famous people with the name McQuillen
- Katie McQuillen: an actress who has been in films such as “The Trust,” “The Witness,” and “End Of The Gun.”
- Rick McQuillen: a former professional baseball player who was an infielder in the 1980s and 1990s.
- John McQuillen: an American politician who was a state Representative from Illinois.
- Pat McQuillen: a professional football player who played running back in the Canadian Football League.
- Brian McQuillen: a former professional ice hockey player who was active in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Paul McQuillen: an American rock musician and songwriter from Chicago.
- Amy McQuillen: an American painter, printmaker, and sculptor.
- Robert McQuillen: an American inventor who patented many rotary engine designs.
- Hal McQuillen: a former college basketball coach who was most notably the head coach at Colorado State University.
- Kevin McQuillen: an American businessman and entrepreneur.
- Mark McQuillen: an author, screenwriter, and songwriter.
- Jeffrey McQuillen: a professor of architecture and urban planning at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.