McMillan Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McMillan last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the McMillan coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the McMillan last name
Meaning of the McMillan last name: son of the tonsured one. McMillan is a Scottish surname from Gaelic Mac Gille Mhaoil, "son of the tonsured one", meaning the son of a monk or cleric with a shaved head. The last name is linked with Argyll and Galloway and later spread overseas. A curious detail of this family name meaning: clan tradition traces it to a churchman, at a time when some Celtic clergy could marry.
Arms associated with the McMillan name
In Scottish heraldry relatives carry their own differenced versions of a coat of arms, so arms associated with the McMillan name vary from one line to another.
Get your full McMillan family history
This is only a glimpse of the McMillan story. The full McMillan 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 McMillan coat of arms. Get the full McMillan report.
McMillan name FAQ
What does the McMillan name mean?
Son of the tonsured one. Common variants include MacMillan, McMillen, Macmillan.
Where does the McMillan surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and New Zealand.
Is there a McMillan coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McMillan coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); Clan MacMillan International, clan history (clanmacmillan.org).