MacGillis Surname Meaning & Coat of Arms

Not every MacGillis is related, but the name itself grew out of Gillis.

What does the surname MacGillis mean?

The family name meaning is “servant of Jesus”, the same as for Gillis.

Is MacGillis the same name as Gillis?

MacGillis simply joins the particle Mac to Gillis, a pattern common in Scottish naming. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists. The same family of names includes Gillies and Gilles.

Does every MacGillis family have a crest?

Arms linked to Gillis and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to.

Want more than a summary? See the MacGillis family name pack.