By Seaand ByLand
The story of the McDonalds — not one man but a whole people. A many-branched clan whose blood runs through the glens of Scotland and the coasts of Ireland alike.
A kindred forged in salt, stone and fire.
Sons of Somerled
From Somerled, the great Norse-Gaelic warlord who broke the grip of the sea-kings, our line descends — a people neither wholly Norse nor wholly Gael, but something fiercer than both.
Lords of the Isles
For three centuries the MacDonalds ruled as Lords of the Isles, a maritime kingdom of longships and law that answered to no crown but its own along the western seaboard.
One Blood, Two Shores
When the galleys crossed the North Channel, the MacDonnells took root in Antrim. To this day Ireland and Scotland share one heart, one name, one clan.
Clann · Mhic · Dòmhnaill
The clan's Gaelic name is built from three words. Together they say exactly who the McDonalds are — the children of the son of Donald.
Clann
children · kindred
An old Gaelic word for children and offspring — and so a clan: a family descended from one ancestor.
Mc / Mac / Mhic
son of
“Son.” In the possessive it softens to Mhic (“of the son of”); the feminine form is Nic (“daughter of”).
Dòmhnall
Donald · “world-ruler”
The name Donald, from Old Gaelic Domnall — domno “world” + val “rule, might.” Its possessive form is Dòmhnaill.
Clann Dòmhnaill
“the children of Donald”
Clann Mhic Dhòmhnaill
“the children of the son of Donald” — the descendants of MacDonald
From Mac Dhòmhnaill came the McDonalds and MacDonalds surnames; the Irish branch became Mac Domhnaill → MacDonnell.
Eight centuries, one unbroken thread.
Somerled's Victory
Somerled defeats the Norse fleet off Islay, laying the foundation of a Gaelic sea-kingdom.
Clann Dòmhnaill Named
The descendants of Domhnall take his name, and the clan proper is born among the isles.
The Battle of Harlaw
Donald of Islay marches on Aberdeen — the clan at the height of its martial power.
Fall of the Lordship
The Lordship of the Isles is forfeited to the Scottish crown, scattering the clan into proud branches.
The Antrim Branch
Sorley Boy MacDonnell secures the Glens of Antrim, binding Ireland forever to the MacDonald name.
Branches of one bloodline.
From Somerled's line spread the great houses of the McDonalds. Choose a branch to follow its story.
The McDonalds
The parent stem — heirs of Somerled and the Lords of the Isles.
Select a house to explore
The Houses
MacDonald of Sleat
The northern house of Skye, sprung from Hugh, son of Alexander of Islay. From Duntulm's cliffs they held Skye and North Uist, and their chief bears the title of the clan today.
Duntulm Castle, Skye
Ùisdean, son of Alexander
c. 1469
Land that remembers.
The glens, ruins and shores that carry our name.
Threads of allegiance.
Every colour is a vow. The deep red of courage, the green of the glens, the dark of the northern sea — woven into a pattern worn with honour from Skye to the Antrim coast.
Per mare per terras
“By sea and by land”
A clan spread across the world.
Counted together, the McDonalds are among the most numerous names of Scottish and Irish origin on earth.
572,000+
McDonalds worldwide
McDonald and MacDonald combined — over 600,000 counting every spelling.
No. 2
Scotland's 2nd most common surname (MacDonald + McDonald)
234,000+
in the United States — the largest single population
10,000+
across Ireland, often carried as MacDonnell
Where the McDonalds live
By spelling
McDonnell, MacDonnell & McConnell — the Irish and further branches — add many thousands more.
Estimates: Forebears (McDonald & MacDonald) and National Records of Scotland. · 2026-06
Are you one of us?
Millions across the world are McDonalds — the many spellings of one clan: McDonald, MacDonald, McDonnell, MacDonell, McConnell and more. Find your name and take your place among them.
Join the Clan.
Receive the clan chronicle, gathering invitations and lineage research direct from the Highlands and the Glens.
Per mare per terras
The living clan.
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