McMinn
An Irish and Scottish patronymic surname meaning “son of Minn,” with the second element likely tied to a personal name or nickname rather than a clear modern word.
The #6,752 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,836 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McMinn is a patronymic surname built on Gaelic Mac, meaning “son,” plus a second element represented in historical sources as Minn/Min or a related personal name. The old explanations in surname dictionaries are not fully consistent: some connect it with a pet form or genitive of an older name, while others treat it as a surname formed from a personal byname. In practical terms, the name means “son of Minn” or “son of a man called Minn,” but the exact original personal name is uncertain.
History
The surname is found in Irish and Scottish usage and appears in English-language records under spellings such as MacMinn and McMinn. In some places it has been treated as a variant or reduced form related to other Mac- surnames, which helps explain the spelling variation. The modern form McMinn is now established in both Ireland and emigrant-descended populations in North America and elsewhere.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers sometimes tried to explain Mc- names through Gaelic grammar and pet names, so the older literature can preserve useful clues even when its exact derivations are debated.
From the historical record
“as in O.N. minne] 2 V. MacMinn. 3 for Milne, q.v MINNS, Minn's (Son) \”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)