McPeak
A Scottish and Irish surname meaning “son of Peak,” likely built from a personal name or nickname rather than the modern word peak.
The #9,020 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,171 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McPeak is an anglicized surname with the Gaelic patronymic prefix Mc/Mac, meaning “son of.” The second element is likely a surname base such as Peak, Pike, or a similar nickname or personal name that was later fixed in hereditary form. In many cases, names of this type were reshaped in English spelling, so the modern form does not always reveal the original Gaelic or local pronunciation.
History
The name is found in both Scottish and Irish surname traditions, especially in English-language records where Gaelic names were adapted to local spelling habits. Because Mac/Mc surnames often changed form as families moved between Gaelic-speaking and English-speaking areas, McPeak may represent more than one local origin line. The surname is relatively uncommon but fits a broader pattern of Gaelic patronymics that became stable family names in the early modern period.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Surnames beginning with Mc or Mac are not always straightforwardly “son of a man with that exact modern surname”; the second part is often an older nickname, byname, or place-related form that no longer survives independently.