Macleod (English)

Where does "Macleod" come from?

The surname Macleod primarily serves as an Anglicization of various Irish and Scottish Gaelic names. In Canada, it underwent a fascinating shift through Scottish missionaries, who adopted it to phonetically transcribe the Cree term ᒪᐦᑭᔪᐠ (mahkiyok), meaning 'the big one.' Today, this evolution is preserved not only as a surname but also in the names of geographic landmarks like Fort Macleod in Alberta and a Melbourne suburb.

Full etymology tree

• Macleod (English), 'A surname from Irish, A surname from Scottish Gaelic, A surname from Cree'
  • learned borrowing mahkiyok (Cree)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris