Macdonnell

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Scottish and Irish family name borne by members of a Highland clan ; a mountain range stretching across the Northern Territory of central Australia
2. A surname of Gaelic origin common in Scotland and Ireland ; the name of a long range of rugged hills in the arid centre of Australia
3. Traditionally a Highland clan surname from Scotland and Ireland ; the name given to a chain of ridges in the Northern Territory of Australia

Etymology: MacDonnell is a spelling variant of MacDonald, and the two names share the same Gaelic root. "Mac" means "son of" in Scottish and Irish Gaelic, and "Domhnall" is the Gaelic personal name behind the English "Donald," so the name literally means "son of Donald." The double "n" is a common Irish-leaning spelling, while MacDonald is the form most familiar in Scotland, where the same family name appears across the Highlands and Hebrides. The spelling difference is a matter of tradition rather than meaning. Families and clans recorded their names in many ways over the centuries, and clerks, emigrants and individuals often chose different forms, so one surname could appear in several versions even within a single family. MacDonnell is most closely associated with the Irish branch of the clan, the Glens of Antrim lineage, which is one reason the spelling is especially common in Northern Ireland.