Gaelic Mac an Aba, 'son of the abbot. ' The early chiefs of the Clan Macnab were probably lay abbots of Glendochart, in which glen lay the lands of the clan, and in which there was formerly a great Celtic monastery. In the seventh century St. Fillan founded a monastery in the glen, the upper part of which took its name of Strathfillan from him, and in the reign of William the Lion we find that the abbot of Glendochart ranked as an equal with the earls of Atholl and of Menteath (APS., I, p. 372). In a genealogy of the Macnabs compiled in 1467 we find a Gillafaelan ("servant of St. Fillan") named as one of the early chiefs (Coll., p. 52). A bond of manrent dated 1606 declaring a connection between the Macnabs and the Mackinnons seems mere fancy. A Mathew M'Nab was a tenant of the ea. of Douglas in Brekauchbeg in the barony of Buittle in 1376, and Maurice M'Nab was a tenant in Glcnwaldy in the barony of Prestoune in the same year (RHM., I, p. lix, lxi). Robert Gynnab, a Scots prisoner of war, was released from prison in Colchester, 1396 (Bain, IV, 483 The obit of Patrick M'Gynnab of Bovan is recorded in 1488 (Chr. Fort. ), and Finlay M'ynnab, author of a satire on lazy bards, preserved in the collection of Gaelic poetry known as the "Book of the Dean of Lismore" (c. 1512), is probably the Finlai M'Genab de Bowayn whose obit is placed in 1525 (Chr. Fort., p. 119). John Makinnab was servitor to James Grant of Freuquhye in 1647 (Grant, III, p. 342). M'Knab 1598, M'Knabe and Maknabe 1591, McNap 1692, Milnab (Just. Rec., II, p. 126) 1643.

In the early Celtic Church the abbot of a monastery usually belonged to a leading family of the tribe or tuath, and in that family the office was hereditary. "in course of time this system gave rise to great abuses; the monastery grew rich in lands, and the energies of the abbot, or some other leading officer, were directed to temporal rather than spiritual management. In fact, latterly, he became a mere layman, holding the abbacy in his family by direct descent, and, delegating his clerical duties to a monk, he himself took to rearing a family in which the monastic lands were hereditary. Crinan, lay abbot of Dunkeld, for example, was 2 king's son-in-law, and also a kings father-father of the unfortunate King Duncan" (Macbain, Scoto-Celtic studies, p. 69), The Abernethies are also descended from lay abbots.

(Celtic+ Latin-Greek-Syr.) Son of THE Abbot [Gaelic Mac-an-Aba - mac, son+an, of the+aba(dh, genit. of ab, abbot-Latin abbas, Greek άββάς, Syr. abbá, a father] Cp. Mac Cabe.

Abair tri uairean Mac-an-Aba gun do chab a dhùnadh (Say three times Mac Nab(b without shutting your mouth).—St. Columbus’s Conundrums.

“Son of the Abbot” (Mac on Aba) in Gaelic.

A branch of the Mackinnons.

The son of Nab, which signifies the top of the mountain.