MacLeod Surname
Approximately 59,454 people bear this surname
MacLeod Surname Definition:
Gaelic MacLeoid, 'son of Leod, ' from a Norse name Ljotr (r silent) or Ljot, 'ugly, ' but evidentiy a curtailed form of some doublestemmed name of which Ljotr was the first element, probably Ljot-ulf, 'uely wolf. ' There was a Ljotr, a companion of Arnfinn, brother of Anakoll, a viking of the Hebrides (Ork.
Read More About This SurnameMacLeod Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 18,779 | 1:1,962 | 202 |
| Scotland | 14,561 | 1:368 | 43 |
| United States | 11,362 | 1:31,901 | 3,989 |
| England | 6,136 | 1:9,081 | 1,322 |
| Australia | 4,359 | 1:6,193 | 903 |
| New Zealand | 1,287 | 1:3,519 | 545 |
| South Africa | 772 | 1:70,178 | 8,755 |
| France | 267 | 1:248,774 | 38,430 |
| Wales | 227 | 1:13,632 | 1,497 |
| Saudi Arabia | 199 | 1:155,054 | 22,057 |
| Thailand | 167 | 1:422,984 | 74,095 |
| Argentina | 147 | 1:290,772 | 23,277 |
| Malawi | 131 | 1:130,680 | 14,293 |
| Ireland | 69 | 1:68,245 | 4,322 |
| Jamaica | 67 | 1:42,835 | 2,665 |
| Bahrain | 59 | 1:22,858 | 4,582 |
| Netherlands | 57 | 1:296,266 | 35,624 |
| Germany | 56 | 1:1,437,597 | 88,094 |
| Brazil | 47 | 1:4,554,773 | 120,089 |
| Spain | 47 | 1:994,724 | 37,216 |
| Philippines | 43 | 1:2,354,377 | 127,644 |
| Norway | 39 | 1:131,853 | 17,004 |
| Northern Ireland | 36 | 1:51,251 | 4,273 |
| Russia | 32 | 1:4,503,846 | 209,401 |
| Dominican Republic | 31 | 1:336,546 | 11,471 |
| Peru | 30 | 1:1,059,471 | 19,489 |
| Singapore | 30 | 1:183,590 | 7,666 |
| Zimbabwe | 27 | 1:571,787 | 44,609 |
| Switzerland | 25 | 1:328,517 | 25,592 |
| Malaysia | 24 | 1:1,228,926 | 53,021 |
| Jersey | 22 | 1:4,509 | 908 |
| Indonesia | 17 | 1:7,779,364 | 314,803 |
| Cyprus | 16 | 1:55,305 | 5,325 |
| Iraq | 16 | 1:2,188,853 | 19,343 |
| China | 15 | 1:91,154,771 | 4,767 |
| Italy | 15 | 1:4,077,113 | 105,022 |
| Mexico | 15 | 1:8,275,080 | 36,578 |
| Sweden | 15 | 1:656,450 | 48,545 |
| Paraguay | 13 | 1:556,673 | 7,036 |
| India | 11 | 1:69,733,217 | 610,955 |
| Isle of Man | 11 | 1:7,802 | 1,618 |
| Hong Kong | 10 | 1:733,548 | 3,685 |
| Belgium | 9 | 1:1,277,405 | 87,318 |
| Chile | 9 | 1:1,957,386 | 29,026 |
| Nigeria | 9 | 1:19,682,529 | 291,344 |
| Estonia | 8 | 1:165,226 | 26,217 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 8 | 1:4,291 | 379 |
| Finland | 7 | 1:785,243 | 38,644 |
| Denmark | 6 | 1:940,786 | 47,603 |
| Qatar | 6 | 1:393,000 | 55,922 |
| United Arab Emirates | 6 | 1:1,527,046 | 51,993 |
| Venezuela | 6 | 1:5,034,013 | 43,431 |
| Israel | 5 | 1:1,711,527 | 84,568 |
| Kenya | 5 | 1:9,235,980 | 55,978 |
| South Korea | 5 | 1:10,248,051 | 1,694 |
| Taiwan | 5 | 1:4,688,949 | 27,695 |
| Azerbaijan | 4 | 1:2,412,280 | 25,948 |
| Poland | 4 | 1:9,502,187 | 181,606 |
| Portugal | 4 | 1:2,604,560 | 16,079 |
| Sri Lanka | 4 | 1:5,202,140 | 12,146 |
| Costa Rica | 3 | 1:1,593,356 | 8,177 |
| Japan | 3 | 1:42,614,764 | 59,022 |
| Uganda | 3 | 1:13,013,093 | 160,157 |
| Afghanistan | 2 | 1:16,076,592 | 43,178 |
| Brunei | 2 | 1:209,366 | 3,098 |
| Cambodia | 2 | 1:7,743,573 | 11,959 |
| Czechia | 2 | 1:5,316,734 | 169,646 |
| Greece | 2 | 1:5,539,895 | 129,142 |
| Namibia | 2 | 1:1,204,700 | 16,113 |
| Oman | 2 | 1:1,843,986 | 9,590 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | 1:681,988 | 17,017 |
| Uruguay | 2 | 1:1,715,879 | 35,955 |
| Andorra | 1 | 1:83,838 | 2,381 |
| Angola | 1 | 1:26,989,214 | 11,853 |
| Austria | 1 | 1:8,515,435 | 118,036 |
| Bahamas | 1 | 1:391,751 | 2,737 |
| Belarus | 1 | 1:9,501,059 | 159,228 |
| Cayman Islands | 1 | 1:63,893 | 2,384 |
| Colombia | 1 | 1:47,774,072 | 44,230 |
| Cuba | 1 | 1:11,522,716 | 17,380 |
| Curaçao | 1 | 1:157,247 | 1,313 |
| Dominica | 1 | 1:75,891 | 912 |
| Ghana | 1 | 1:27,020,692 | 23,742 |
| Hungary | 1 | 1:9,816,277 | 73,288 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 1:17,682,496 | 204,010 |
| Kuwait | 1 | 1:3,800,694 | 27,187 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 1:5,637,083 | 32,436 |
| Luxembourg | 1 | 1:580,542 | 15,155 |
| Nicaragua | 1 | 1:6,021,090 | 8,768 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 | 1:8,153,717 | 181,784 |
| Romania | 1 | 1:20,077,870 | 89,414 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1 | 1:55,199 | 1,294 |
| Samoa | 1 | 1:193,808 | 1,089 |
| Senegal | 1 | 1:14,579,342 | 11,705 |
| Suriname | 1 | 1:552,616 | 9,664 |
| Tanzania | 1 | 1:52,941,613 | 123,716 |
| Turkey | 1 | 1:77,821,422 | 191,047 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 1:45,522,696 | 503,646 |
| Vanuatu | 1 | 1:263,276 | 2,086 |
| Yemen | 1 | 1:26,425,294 | 55,147 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 33 | 1:134,238 | 7,606 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 48 | 1:1,046,223 | 61,047 |
MacLeod (568) may also be a first name.
MacLeod Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
Gaelic MacLeoid, 'son of Leod, ' from a Norse name Ljotr (r silent) or Ljot, 'ugly, ' but evidentiy a curtailed form of some doublestemmed name of which Ljotr was the first element, probably Ljot-ulf, 'uely wolf. ' There was a Ljotr, a companion of Arnfinn, brother of Anakoll, a viking of the Hebrides (Ork. Saga, c. 101). The fact that the Macleods of Cadboll and the Macleods of Lewis quarter the three legs of Man (trie cossyn in Manx) and use the same motto, Quocunque jecerls stabit, does not necessarily point to a connection between them and the Norwegian kings of Man. Such heraldic assumptions were by no means uncommon in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. "The Macleods," as Stodart says, "have a pretension to descend from the old Lords of the Isle of Man, and began apparently early in the eighteenth century to add the arms of Man to their coat" (Stodart, II, p. 41). Gillandres MacLeod on a perambulation of marches, 1227 (APS., I, p. 91). Torquil M'Leoid de Leohus witnessed a grant of lands in Radenoch, 1338 (SCM., IV, p. 126). Gilbert or Gilbreid McGloid, tenant in Tiree, 1541 (ER., XVII, p. 614). Murdow McCloyd made an attack on the galley of the laird of Balcomie, one of the Fife adventurers in the Hebrides in 1600 (RPC., XIV, p. cxxiii). There are three branches of Macleod: Macleod of Macleod, in Gaelic MocLedid; Macleod of Dunvegan, Gaelic Siol Thormaid; Macleod of the Lewis, Gaelic Siol Thorcuil. The Rev. Alexander Macleod (1774—1838), preacher and author in New York, born in Mull, was son of Rev. Neil Macleod who entertained Dr. Samuel Johnson during his visit to the island. Thomas Gordon Macleod (1868-1932), governor of South Carolina, was Scottish on both sides. Among Scots descendants in Poland the name has become Machlejd. The following spellings are recorded in 1663: M'Cleod, M'Cloid, M'Glaud, M'Kleod, M'Leud, M'Lewd, M'Loid; Mccleoyd 1633, McCleud 1762, McCloaud 1779, M'Cloide 1559, Macleoad 1655, Maclode 1343, Makkloud 1770, Ma Keloid (of Harris) 1623, M'Loyd 1443, M'Loyde 1436, M'clode 1539, Makcioid 1515. See Amendments and additions.
“Son of the People” in Gaelic.
(Scottish) The son of Leod (ugly).
Leod, the patriarch of this Highland family, settled in Skye from the Isle of Man. Boswell's Tour. Others have strenuously argued for a Norwegian descent; but for this there is no authority. The clan Leod are of common descent with the Campbells, and, by marriage with a daughter of Macraild, one of the Norwegian nobles of the Isles, they obtained great possessions in Skye. Skene, ii. 275.
The son of Leod. The family are descended from Malcolm, son of Termod Macleod, temp. David II.
Macleod: also form a clan subdivided into two subclans, issuing from two Norsemen - Thorkell and Thormod.
MacLeod Demographics
Average Male MacLeod Height
177.18 cm
Average Female MacLeod Height
163.07 cm
Sample is predominantly from Anglosphere countries
MacLeod Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name MacLeod Come From? nationality or country of origin
MacLeod is more frequently found in Canada than any other country/territory. It may occur as a variant:. Click here to see other potential spellings of this surname.
How Common Is The Last Name MacLeod? popularity and diffusion
The last name MacLeod is the 9,513th most commonly occurring surname internationally, borne by around 1 in 122,575 people. The surname MacLeod occurs mostly in The Americas, where 51 percent of MacLeod are found; 51 percent are found in North America and 50 percent are found in Anglo-North America. It is also the 351,990th most commonly used first name at a global level, borne by 568 people.
The surname is most frequently occurring in Canada, where it is carried by 18,779 people, or 1 in 1,962. In Canada it is most prevalent in: Ontario, where 32 percent live, Nova Scotia, where 23 percent live and British Columbia, where 15 percent live. Not including Canada MacLeod occurs in 99 countries. It is also found in Scotland, where 24 percent live and The United States, where 19 percent live.
MacLeod Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The prevalency of MacLeod has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the MacLeod surname increased 23,671 percent between 1880 and 2014 and in Ireland it increased 209 percent between 1901 and 2014.
MacLeod Last Name Statistics demography
The religious devotion of those carrying the MacLeod last name is chiefly Methodist (100%) in Ireland.
In The United States those bearing the MacLeod last name are 6.4% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than the national average, with 59.63% being registered to vote for the party.
The amount MacLeod earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 61.99% more than the national average, earning 560,611 kr per year; in Peru they earn 94.05% more than the national average, earning S/. 37,616 per year; in South Africa they earn 108.04% more than the national average, earning R 494,388 per year; in United States they earn 11.66% more than the national average, earning $48,179 USD per year and in Canada they earn 2.11% less than the national average, earning $48,634 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
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MacLeod Reference & Research
MacLeod FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacLeod
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis