McAnally
An Irish surname, usually understood as a form of MacNally, meaning “son of Nally.”
The #7,997 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,648 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McAnally is an anglicized Irish surname usually treated as a variant spelling of MacNally. The first element is Gaelic mac, meaning “son of,” while the second element is the surname Nally, whose deeper origin is not entirely certain in the older literature. In practice, the name is commonly explained as a family-name form rather than a transparent descriptive word.
History
Woulfe records MacAnally, MacEnally, MacInally, Mac Nally, Manally, and Canally as related spellings, showing how the name was often rendered in different English spellings. The surname is found in Ireland and among Irish emigrant communities abroad, where Mc- forms became especially common in later usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The many historical spellings show how easily the Gaelic prefix mac could be compressed, dropped, or reattached in English records.
From the historical record
“Easping, Aspig ; Bishop. niAC Anp'Aix), Tempest. rriAC An pAiljij;, MacAnally, MacEnally, Maclnally, Mac Nally, Manally, Canally'”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames