English
McDowell
McDowell comes from Scottish Gaelic mac ‘son’, and goes back to Proto-Celtic *makkʷos.
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*makkʷosroot as named · steps between not traced
- Primitive Irishmodernᚋᚐᚊᚊᚔ
- Old Irishc. 600–900macc
- Middle Irishc. 900–1200mac‘son’
- Scottish Gaelicmodernsame form‘son’
- EnglishtodayMcDowell
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*makkʷosroot as named · steps between not traced
- Primitive Irishmodernᚋᚐᚊᚊᚔ
- Old Irishc. 600–900macc
- Middle Irishc. 900–1200mac‘son’
- Scottish Gaelicmodernsame form‘son’
- EnglishtodayMcDowell
The story
Anglicized form of Irish and Scottish Gaelic MacDubhghaill (‘son of the dark stranger’), equivalent to mac + Dubhghall.
Every English word from Proto-Celtic *makkʷos
Today it means
name A surname from Irish.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Celtic *makkʷos / McDowell