MacPhail Surname

86,840th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 5,544 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Canada
Highest density in:
Scotland

MacPhail Surname Definition:

In G M'Phail 'son of Paul. ' Gillemore M'Phale was one of an inquest at Inverness, 1414 (Cawdor, p. 5). Niven M'Phaill was a charter witness at Sonnachan, Argyll, 1488 (Notes and Queries, 11 July, 1931, p. 21). Donald M'Pawle witnessed an indenture between Doncan Makyntosche and Huchone the Rois, baron of Kylraok, 1490 (Rose, p.

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MacPhail Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Canada1,8091:20,3682,816
United States1,1551:313,81728,710
Scotland1,0151:5,275885
Australia6511:41,4685,322
England4881:114,17611,700
New Zealand1301:34,8335,995
South Africa791:685,79449,549
Netherlands511:331,12138,060
Wales381:81,4356,830
Argentina231:1,858,40995,340
France111:6,038,429280,838
Switzerland91:912,54658,198
Qatar91:262,00030,726
Germany91:8,945,051266,530
Estonia81:165,22626,217
Singapore41:1,376,92628,409
Thailand41:17,659,586685,799
Uzbekistan41:7,732,28643,643
Bahrain41:337,1526,054
Venezuela41:7,551,01953,668
Israel41:2,139,40895,907
Italy31:20,385,563143,117
Hong Kong21:3,667,74211,574
Bahamas21:195,8761,708
Chile21:8,808,23765,417
United Arab Emirates21:4,581,13693,443
China21:683,660,78330,601
Greece21:5,539,895129,142
Denmark21:2,822,35876,882
Ireland21:2,354,47019,715
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Northern Ireland11:1,845,03620,648
Yemen11:26,425,29455,147
Azerbaijan11:9,649,12247,873
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Costa Rica11:4,780,06913,345
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Guernsey11:64,4392,137
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Jamaica11:2,869,94713,896
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland141:316,41912,423

MacPhail (11) may also be a first name.

MacPhail Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

In G M'Phail 'son of Paul. ' Gillemore M'Phale was one of an inquest at Inverness, 1414 (Cawdor, p. 5). Niven M'Phaill was a charter witness at Sonnachan, Argyll, 1488 (Notes and Queries, 11 July, 1931, p. 21). Donald M'Pawle witnessed an indenture between Doncan Makyntosche and Huchone the Rois, baron of Kylraok, 1490 (Rose, p. 153), and Donald Makfaill and Gylleis Makfaill were witnesses to a contract of friendship between Dunbar of Westfield and the Clanchattan, 1492 (Coll., p. 86). Finlay MacChaell, bailie of Rothesay, 1501, appears in 1503 as Macfaill (LCD., p. 205,207), and again in 1506 as Makcaill, under which name he received a grant of a third of the lands of Dunallirde in Bute (RMS. ). The lands of Dulatyr in the lordship of Petty were let to Gilleis McFale in 1504 (ER., XII, p. 667). Sir John Mcfaell, a Pope's knight, who witnessed a bond of manrent in 1533 (Cawdor, p. 159), is possibly D Joh. M'Fale who witnessed a charter relating to the church of Lindichty, 1535, and in 1538 appears as rector of the church (RMS., III, 1525, 1830). Mare Vykfaill (=mhicFaill) or W'Faill gave band to Campbell of Glenurquhay, 1547 (BBT., p. 184), and Maria M'Kane M'Fale is in record in Lochalsh, 1548 (RMS., IV, 204). William Dow McPhayll was a 'brebner' in Inverness, 1557 (Rec. Inv., I, p. 10); in 1578 complaint was made against Donald McFail in Archindoun (RPC., III, p. 51); John Dow McPaule was in Kenmore. 1579 (FB., p. 371), Angus M'Phaill was vicar of Killespickerell in Mukcarne before 1583 (OPS., II, p. 827). Makphaile, a 'reformed incumbend, held the parsonage of Farnway in 1589 (Wardlow MS., p. 185); Donald McPhaull or McFoill in Edinampell was prosecuted in 1618 for illegal carrying of arms (RPC., XI, p. 415-416); Neill McFoill held a lewirheia in Islay, 1686 (Bk. Islay, p. 511); and Donald M'Fyeill was tenant in Kilmun, 1711 (Argyll). The author of the Book of Mackay (p. 51) maintains that a section at least of the Macphails sprang from the Mackays, and the list of tenants on the Reay estates about 1678 certainly shows that a number of Macphails were among them. The Seil-Phaill of Sir Robert Gordon appear to have been Mackays descended from Paul, son of Neil MacNeil Mackay, the latter a brother of Angus Dubh of 1411. Katherine N'Phael in Fortingall, 1684 (DPD., I, p. 488). The name is a common one around Ardchattan, and several Macphails were among the fencible men enrolled in Glenlyon by the duke of Atholl in 1706 (HMon., III, p. 216). John M'Phell, taylor burgess of Edinburgh, 1736 (Guildry, p. 158). Some Macphails now write their name Macfall and Macfyall. It is also sometimes Englished Polson, q. v. Mackphaill 1603, M'Fal 1502, Makfaill 1481, Mcffaill 1692, Makfale 1588, Makfele 1510, M'Fyeill 1711, Macfauld 1583, M'Kaill 1575, McPaill 1692, McPhaell 1684, McPhale and McPhaile 1699, Nickphaile and Niphail (both fem. ) 1670-1671. Latinized Macphalius.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

Sometimes a form of MacFall, q.v. This Scottish name has also been used synonymously with Vail, which is a variant of Veale, q.v

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(Celtic+Latin) Son of Paul, q.v. [Gaelic Mac Phail, genit. of Pàl]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

“The Son of Paul” in Gaelic.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(Scottish) The son of Paul (small).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Contracted from Mac Phail, ‘Paul's Son'. Phail is Anglicised from Maelfabhaill. ‘Maelfabhaill, son of Muircheartach, slain by the Norsemen'.

This is one of the most widely distributed names in the island.

Manx Names (1890) by Arthur William Moore

MacPhail Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name MacPhail Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name MacPhail is more commonly found in Canada than any other country/territory. It may be rendered in the variant forms:. For other possible spellings of MacPhail click here.

How Common Is The Last Name MacPhail? popularity and diffusion

The surname MacPhail is the 86,840th most frequently occurring last name at a global level, borne by around 1 in 1,314,492 people. The surname is mostly found in The Americas, where 54 percent of MacPhail live; 53 percent live in North America and 53 percent live in Anglo-North America. It is also the 3,487,849th most prevalent forename internationally It is held by 11 people.

This surname is most widely held in Canada, where it is carried by 1,809 people, or 1 in 20,368. In Canada it is mostly found in: Ontario, where 31 percent reside, British Columbia, where 19 percent reside and Alberta, where 16 percent reside. Other than Canada MacPhail exists in 45 countries. It is also common in The United States, where 21 percent reside and Scotland, where 18 percent reside.

MacPhail Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of MacPhail has changed through the years. In Ireland the number of people bearing the MacPhail last name contracted 86 percent between 1901 and 2014.

MacPhail Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those holding the MacPhail last name is chiefly Catholic (50%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the MacPhail surname are 2.77% more likely to be registered Democrats than The US average, with 56% registered with the political party.

The amount MacPhail earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 148.02% more than the national average, earning R 589,392 per year; in United States they earn 21.93% more than the national average, earning $52,612 USD per year and in Canada they earn 7.18% more than the national average, earning $53,250 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
McPhail9312,414/
MacPhil937/
MacPail931/
MacPhaille897/
Macphall8817/
MacPhaul8811/
MacPheil882/
MacPhale882/
MacPhill881/
Macpal86788/
McPhaul801,544/
MacFail8011/
Machpal808/
Machfal806/
Macpaul805/
Magcpal804/
Mackpal801/
Mcphile801/
Mcpal773/
MacPhele751/
MacPheld751/
McPaul71626/
Makpal71265/
Magpal7113/
MacFal714/
Machpalle712/
Magpale671,586/
Magpile67610/
MacFall67235/
Makpale6725/
MacFaul6717/
Macfale674/
MacPyle674/
Magpayl671/
Makhpal671/
Magpael671/
Magpaul671/
Macpele671/

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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 MacPhail
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis