Macbeth or MacBeth (and other Scottish surnames)? [closed]

I get the impression that names beginning with Mac generally seem to be followed by a capital, and yet Macbeth doesn’t. Is that impression correct, and why the variation?

Solution 1:

No, other Scottish surnames are found without a capital after the ‘Mac’, and even Macbeth is sometimes spelled as MacBeth.

I am more fortunate than some in having a first-hand opportunity to research the subject. Here is a listing (probably not publicly available) of some of the first few Glasgow University staff surnames beginning with Mac or Mc:

Macalister, McAlister

Macallan, McAllan

MacArthur, Macarthur, McArthur

Macartney

Macaulay, McAulay

Macbride, McBride

McBeth

MacDonald, McDonald

Macdougall, McDougall

The only pattern is that names beginning with ‘Mc’ are followed by a capital, presumably because it is an abbreviation and cannot be spoken as a word. The rest is custom. There may be some surnames that are always MacCapital and some that are never, but there isn’t any rule that I am aware of. Other answers discuss the origin of ‘Mac’ and the anglicisation of these surnames.

And what about Macbeth? Well this James MacBeth would probably blame Shakespeare (or was it Shakspere?) as he, for one, appears to differ.

Solution 2:

The spelling Macbeth is the anglicised form of the medieval Gaelic Mac Bethad:

• Macbeth, c.1040 Macbeth, c.1040 © Macbeth was a king of the Scots whose rule was marked by efficient government and the promotion of Christianity, but who is best known as the murderer and usurper in William Shakespeare's tragedy.

• Shakespeare's Macbeth bears little resemblance to the real 11th century Scottish king.

• Mac Bethad mac Findláich, known in English as Macbeth , was born in around 1005. His father was Finlay, Mormaer of Moray, and his mother may have been Donada, second daughter of Malcolm II. A 'mormaer' was literally a high steward of one of the ancient Celtic provinces of Scotland, but in Latin documents the word is usually translated as 'comes', which means earl.

(www.bbc.com)

• Mac Bethad mac Findlaích (Modern Gaelic: MacBheatha mac Fhionnlaigh; Medieval Gaelic: Mac Bethad mac Findlaích; anglicised as Macbeth MacFin[d]lay or Macbeth MacFinley, and nicknamed Rí Deircc, "the Red King";1 born c. 1005 - died 15 August 1057) was King of the Scots (also known as the King of Alba, and earlier as King of Moray and King of Fortriu) from 1040 until his death.

(Wiktionary)

It appears there is no clear patter for using a capital letter after the prefix Mc or Mac:

You can probably see why Mc and Mac names typically contain a second capital letter. Since proper nouns are capitalized, you would write “son of Donald,” not “son of donald.” In the same way, you would usually write MacDonald rather than Macdonald, but there are obviously exceptions. Surnames have been around so long that sometimes they get changed, and in some families, the second capital letter was gotten rid of.

• In addition, some Mc and Mac names don’t include the name of the father, but the father’s profession. Take someone named John Macmaster. In this case, John’s father was a master of some sort, therefore John is the “son of a master.” Master is not a proper noun and thus does not need to be capitalized. This practice can be seen elsewhere—every Smith, Baker, and Cook likely had someone in that occupation somewhere in their ancestry.

• Other Mc and Mac surnames come from some physical feature of the person, such as Macilbowie, which means “son of the blonde man,” while the more recognizable Mackenzie (ironically enough now a popular first name for girls) means “son of the fair one.” Again, every Brown, White, Green, Bruin, Weiss, LeBlanc, etc. can relate.

(www.todayifoundout.com)