McPhail
A Gaelic surname meaning “son of Paul.”
The #6,381 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,893 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McPhail comes from Gaelic Mac Phail, meaning “son of Paul.” The second element is the Gaelic form of the personal name Paul, ultimately from Latin Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble.” Historical sources also record spellings with Mac- and Mc-, reflecting normal variation in Gaelic surnames.
History
This is a Scottish and Manx surname, and older writers often treated it as the Gaelic equivalent of “Paul’s son.” The name appears in historical surname lists alongside related forms such as MacPaul, MacFall, and MacVail. In English-language records, the spelling McPhail became standard, especially in North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries sometimes glossed the name very directly as simply “son of Paul,” showing how transparent many Gaelic patronymics were to early scholars.
From the historical record
“MAC PHAIL (Celt. +Lat.) Son of Paul, q.v. [Gael. MacPhail, genit. oi PM\ MAC PHEE =Mao Fie, q.v, 1 MAC PHERSON (Celt.+Lat.) Son of the”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)