This surname is an Anglicized form of the Old Scots Gaelic Mac Shuibhne, "Mac" and the shortened form "Mc" meaning son of, and "Shuibhne", an old Gaelic personal name which appears to mean easy-going or pleasant; hence "son of the pleasant one" the aspiration of the "s" causes the name when preceded by "Mac" to be pronounced like Mac Huin or Mac Wheen and so there are many forms of the surname recorded, for example M'Quhyn(e), M'Quhan, M'Quhen, Maquhon, Mc Quhenne, Mauchquhen and M'Kquyne. In the specific case of the Macqueens originating in the Isle of Skye off Scotland, the Norse Personal name Sveinn meaning servant or young man is believed to be the source of the surname.
Early recordings of the surname include Luke Mac Quyn registered in Aberdeen, Scotland (1403). On October 28th 1683, Dugald Mc Queen married Elizabeth Menzies in New Machar, Aberdeen. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hector Mac Souhyn, which was dated 1271, records of an inquest held at Dumbarton, during the reign of King alexander 111 of Scotland, 1249 - 1286. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname macqueen is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation. Adhering to what we know about the way surnames originated, it is possible to offer a realistic explanation of the origins of macqueen.
The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname macqueen provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname macqueen, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of macqueen developed. In the following lines, you will find everything we have been able to gather about the surname macqueen.
We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about macqueen and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname macqueen were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. If you or someone you know bears the surname macqueen, you could potentially build illustrious lineages through your efforts and virtues. It is our desire to highlight in this section those individuals with the surname macqueen who, for various reasons, have left their mark on the course of history.
The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of macqueen are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation. Accessing the archives of the town or towns where your ancestors were born and lived is, of course, a good way to trace the origins of macqueen.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of macqueen, and at the same time, of surnames in general.