MacDougal
A Scottish Gaelic clan surname meaning “son of Dougal,” ultimately tied to the old Gaelic personal name Dubhghall.
The #4,930 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,248 Americans shares it.
Etymology
MacDougal is a Gaelic patronymic: Mac means “son of,” and Dougal comes from the older Gaelic personal name Dubhghall. That name is usually explained as “dark foreigner” or “dark stranger,” from dubh (“dark”) + gall (“foreigner”). In surname use, the name points back to descent from an ancestor called Dougal/Dubhghall rather than describing the modern bearer.
History
The name is strongly associated with Clan MacDougall of Argyll and the western Highlands, one of the old Gaelic kindreds of Scotland. The historical tradition links the clan to Somerled and the Isles, and the surname spread through descendants and later variants in Scots and English records. In modern usage, McDougal/McDougall/MacDougal are common spelling forms of the same family name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The core personal name behind Dougal is one of several old Gaelic names built from contrasts like “dark” and “fair,” and it has survived in surnames far more widely than as a given name.
From the historical record
“In addition to our Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Norman surnames, we find Highland Gaelic names, represented by " MacDougal," " MacGregor," " Macintosh." Welsh names are found, such as "Morgan," "Richards," "Apjohn." Danish names appear as " Dowdall," " Dromgoole," " Gould," " Coppinger." There are many Huguenot names…”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland