MacWilliam Surname

344,115th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1,065 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Canada
Highest density in:
Scotland

MacWilliam Surname Definition:

Malcolm III
David I, ninth and youngest son of Malcolm IIIDuncan II, eldest son of Malcolm III
Henry the earl, younger son of David I, died in lifetime of his fatherWilliam fitz Duncan
William the Lion second son of Henry the earlDuncan Ban Mac William, slain in battle of Mam Garvia in Moray, 1187
Dovenald Ban, slain in Moray, 1215Guthred, beheaded at Kincardine, 1211

Dovenald Ban, Guthred, beheaded slain in Moray, at Kincardine, 1215.

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MacWilliam Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Canada4021:91,65610,045
United States2591:1,399,45596,631
England1631:341,82924,929
Scotland1091:49,1184,267
Argentina431:994,03362,207
Australia311:870,82953,581
South Africa141:3,869,836127,494
New Zealand141:323,45226,435
Northern Ireland111:167,7318,683
Wales51:618,90625,852
France31:22,140,907385,998
Ireland21:2,354,47019,715
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Italy11:61,156,688199,583
Malaysia11:29,494,225409,885
China11:1,367,321,56651,149
Papua New Guinea11:8,153,717181,784
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Cameroon11:20,769,068227,406
Thailand11:70,638,3451,175,915
Brazil11:214,074,3321,693,628
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland271:164,0698,499

MacWilliam (132) may also be a first name.

MacWilliam Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Gaelic Mac Uilleim, 'son of William. ' The Teutonic name William was early planted in the Highlands, the MacWilliams being powerful Gaelic claimants for the Scottish throne against King William the Lion. The relationship of the MacWilliams to William the Lion is shown in the following table:

Malcolm III
David I, ninth and youngest son of Malcolm IIIDuncan II, eldest son of Malcolm III
Henry the earl, younger son of David I, died in lifetime of his fatherWilliam fitz Duncan
William the Lion second son of Henry the earlDuncan Ban Mac William, slain in battle of Mam Garvia in Moray, 1187
Dovenald Ban, slain in Moray, 1215Guthred, beheaded at Kincardine, 1211

Dovenald Ban, Guthred, beheaded slain in Moray, at Kincardine, 1215.Stolen from Fore bears

The Clan Mac Mhic Uilleim are descended from William, son of William fifth chief of Macleod (Alexander Mackenzie, TGSI., XXII, p. 58). Duncan Williamson who was concerned in the "spulzie of Kilravock" in 1497 (Rose, p. 166) may have been a Macwilliam. Giliecrist Makwilliam in the Black Isle, 1500 (Rose, p. 169). Henry Makwilliam or Makwillzam was appointed to a stall in Croudan in 1506, and is mentioned again in 1521 as vicar of Logymar (REA., I, p. 387; II, p. 96). Thome McWilzeme, tenant in Strathdee, 1527 (Grant, III, p. 68). The Robertsons of Pittagowan early in the sixteenth century were also known as M'William. John M'Eane M'Williame is recorded in Lochalsh in 1548 (RMS., IV, 204), and Allester Roy McWilliame in Auchmahechinche and Parlene McWilliame in Ardes were fined for resetting outlawed members of Clan Gregor in 1613 (RPC., XIV, p. 629,644). Patrick M'William in Ardunaig was denounced rebel in 1678 (HP., I), Callum McQuilliam in Glenlyoun was denounced as "a brokine man" in 1682 (RPC., 3. ser. VII, p. 638), and Alexander McWilliam was a Seaforth tenant in 1721 (HP., II, p. 295). A family of this name are said to have been established in the parish of Mortlach in 1550, and many of the name have now changed their name to Williamson. Many MacWilliams or MacWillies existed in Glenlivet and the name is found there in old records as McKullie (1637), McCullie (1645), McVillie (1693), M'Quhilzeame (1616), etc. The spellings McCulliam, McCuIziame, McCulzian. and McK-William occur in Wigtownshire in 1684 (Parish). Macuilam 1791. Macquilliam, Mackilliam and Macwilliams are also current forms.

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

This numerous north Ulster name (usually there with terminal S) is not a variant of Fitzwilliam (which is a rare name found in south-east Leinster) but is that of a branch of the Scottish clan MacFarlane.

MacWilliam has also been used as a synonym of MacQuillan in Co. Down

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(Celtic + Teutonic) Son of William, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(Scottish, Irish) The son of William (resolution, helmet).

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

MacWilliam Last Name Facts

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

The last name MacWilliam is carried by more people in Canada than any other country or territory. It can also be rendered as:. For other potential spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name MacWilliam? popularity and diffusion

It is the 344,115th most frequently used last name on a global scale, held by approximately 1 in 6,842,766 people. MacWilliam occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 63 percent of MacWilliam reside; 58 percent reside in North America and 58 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 807,735th most commonly held first name in the world, held by 132 people.

This surname is most frequent in Canada, where it is borne by 402 people, or 1 in 91,656. In Canada MacWilliam is most common in: Ontario, where 40 percent are found, British Columbia, where 20 percent are found and Alberta, where 12 percent are found. Barring Canada MacWilliam is found in 20 countries. It is also found in The United States, where 24 percent are found and England, where 15 percent are found.

MacWilliam Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of MacWilliam has changed through the years. In Ireland the share of the population with the last name decreased 93 percent between 1901 and 2014.

MacWilliam Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the surname is chiefly Anglican (100%) in Ireland.

In The United States MacWilliam are 14.56% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 61.33% registered with the party.

The amount MacWilliam earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 52.7% less than the national average, earning R 112,404 per year; in United States they earn 17.37% more than the national average, earning $50,643 USD per year and in Canada they earn 3.19% more than the national average, earning $51,267 CAD per year.

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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 MacWilliam
  • 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