McNeely
An Irish surname, usually a variant spelling of a name built on Mac + a personal name such as Niall.
The #3,183 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,202 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McNeely is an Anglicized Irish surname. The spelling is a later English form of an older Gaelic Mac-name, usually connected with Mac Niall or a closely related form, meaning 'son of Niall' or 'son of Neill.' The element Niall is a traditional Irish personal name, often explained as meaning 'champion' or 'cloud,' though the deeper origin is uncertain.
History
The surname is found in several spellings in Irish records and in emigrant communities, especially in Ulster and later in North America. English clerks often fixed the name in different spellings, which is why forms such as MacNeely, MacNeilly, McNeely, and Meneely occur side by side. In modern usage, McNeely is one of the standardized spellings of this broader surname group.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Woulfe excerpt groups McNeely with a whole cluster of spellings, showing how one Irish surname could branch into many written forms before spelling became standardized.
From the historical record
“MacAnilly, MacNilly, Mac Neilly, MacNielly, MacNeely, MacNeally, M a c N e a 1 e y, Maneilly, Maneely, Meneely,”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames