MacPhail Surname Meaning & Origin
What the MacPhail last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the MacPhail last name
Meaning of the MacPhail last name: the son of Paul (small). Smith's dictionary links the Scottish surname MacPhail to the son of Paul (small). Patronymic names like MacPhail identified people through a parent or ancestor. In Canada, the United States and Scotland the MacPhail surname is still in use today. Other spellings of the MacPhail name: McPhail.
Arms associated with the MacPhail name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full MacPhail family history
This is only a glimpse of the MacPhail story. The full MacPhail history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted MacPhail coat of arms. Get the full MacPhail report.
MacPhail name FAQ
What does the MacPhail name mean?
The son of Paul (small). Common variants include McPhail.
Where does the MacPhail surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in Canada and the United States.
Is there a MacPhail coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized MacPhail coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.