McCandlish (/mɪkˈkænd.lɪʃ/, mik-CAND-lish is Scottish surname (and rarely also a given name), derived from Scottish Gaelic and Middle Irish Mac Cuindlis (among other spellings), meaning 'son of Cuindleas', an Old Irish given name of uncertain meaning.[2]

McCandlish, MacCandlish
McCandlish red tartan[1]
Pronunciation/mɪkˈkænd.lɪʃ/
Language(s)Anglicised Scottish Gaelic
Origin
Meaning'Son of Cuindleas'
Region of origin
Other names
Variant form(s)McAndlish, McCanleis, McCaunles,[2] McCandleish,[3] and many others

Variants

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Some variants include McAndlish,[2] McCanalish, McCandelich, McCandelish, McCandish, McCandlash, and McCandleis, among others. Spellings with Mac were believed to be extinct by the first half of the 20th century,[2] but still survive among a few families, primarily in the United States and Canada.[4] As with other names of this sort, versions with M' were also attested until the early 20th century.[2][3]

The name is closely related to McCandless (from the same derivation), found in Scotland and especially the north of Ireland (Ulster).[5][6] Some recorded north Irish variants are more similar to McCandlish, e.g. McCandleish,[3] while some Scottish variants are closer to McCandless, e.g. McCanleis and McCaunles.[2] McCandlish itself has also sometimes historically been attested in Northern Ireland.[7]

It is etymologically but probably not familially related to Ó Cuindlis, 'descendant of Cuindlis', a literary family of Uí Mháine in west-central Ireland.[5][8][9] The earliest form of the given name can be traced back to an abbot from the 8th century called Cuindles.[10][11][8]

Surname

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  • Benjamin McCandlish (1886–1975), United States Navy flag officer; 36th naval governor of Guam
  • Edward Gerstell McCandlish (1887–1946), American illustrator, mapmaker, toymaker, and author of the Bunny Tots series of children's books (1920s); perhaps best known for illustrating Laboulaye's Fairy Book
  • John Edward Chalmers McCandlish CB CBE (1901–1974), British Army major-general
  • John MacGregor McCandlish (1821–1901), Scottish lawyer; first president of the Faculty of Actuaries
  • Mackey McCandlish, animator, game designer, and co-creator of Blahbalicious
  • Margherita McCandlish née Wood (1892–1954), former first lady of Guam, wife of Benjamin
  • William Leslie McCandlish, British dog breeder (see List of Chairmen of the Kennel Club)

Given name

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See also

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  • Candlish, a derived Scottish surname
  • McCandless (surname), a more common Scots-Irish form of the name, primarily found in the north of Ireland
  • Ó Cuindlis, a west Irish surname dating to the 14th century; anglicized as Conlisk, Cundlish, Quinlist, and several other variants

References

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  1. ^ "Search Results [McCandlish]". TartanRegister.gov.uk. Scottish Register of Tartans. 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Black, George F. (1962) [1946]. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History (2nd ed.). New York Public Library. p. 131, "Candlish"; p. 464, "MacCandlish". ISBN 978-0-87104-172-2 – via Internet Archive. A newer edition of this book exists (2015, ISBN 9781626540590).
  3. ^ a b c Matheson, Robert E. (1901). "1242: M'Candless". Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland. Dublin: HM Stationery Office. p. 50 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ "MacCandlish Surname Definition". Forebears. 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b MacLysaght, Edward (1997) [1957]. "Mac Candless". The Surnames of Ireland (6th ed.). Dublin: Irish Academic Press. pp. 35–36 – via Internet Archive. Link is to 1985 edition, but pagination is the same. A newer edition of this book exists (1989, ISBN 9780716523666).
  6. ^ "Surname Database: McCandless Last Name Origin". The Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  7. ^ "1901/1911 Census, Ireland / Search: McCandlish". Search Census. National Archives of Ireland. 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
    The data can be visualised with maps provided here:
    Griffin, Barry (2023). "MacCandlish Surname Maps of Ireland". Irish Surname Maps for the 1901 and 1911 Census of Ireland. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  8. ^ a b Woulfe, Patrick (1922). "Ó Cuindlis". Irish Names and Surnames / Sloinnte Gaelheal Is Gall. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. p. 93 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Koch, John T. (2006). Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. vol. 3, pp. 1119, 1121; vol. 5, p. 2102. ISBN 9781851094400.
  10. ^ Ryan, John (1938). "The Abbatial Succession at Clonmacnoise". In Ryan, John (ed.). Feil-Sgribhinn Eóin Mhic Neill / Essays and Studies Presented to Professor Eóin Mac Neill. Dublin: Three Candles Press. p. 499. A revised edition of this book exists (1995, ISBN 9781851821808).
  11. ^ Woulfe, Patrick (1922). "MacCuindilis, MacCuindlis". Irish Names and Surnames / Sloinnte Gaelheal Is Gall. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. p. 68 – via Internet Archive.