Mac Suibhne Mac Suibhne The Gaelic surname Mac Suibhne is a patronymic form of "Suibhne" and means "son of "Suibhne"". The personal name "Suibhne" means "pleasant". Anglicised forms of "Mac Suibhne" include: "McSeveney", "McSeveny", "McSween", "McSweeney", "McSweeny", "McSwiney", "Sweaney", "Sween", "Sweeney", "Sweenie", "Sweeny", "Sweney", "Swiney", "Swinney", A lenited variant form of "Mac Suibhne" is "Mac Shuibhne". Anglicised forms of the latter Gaelic name include: (possibly) "Mawhinney", "McQueen", "McQueeney", "McQueenie", (possibly) "McWhinney", "Queen", "Queeney", "Wheen". One particular family that has borne the surname "Mac Suibhne" is Clann Suibhne. Members of this Scottish family settled in Ulster as gallowglass warriors in the Middle Ages.
Poland (surname) the examples where the 'Mac' or 'Mc' has been dropped can be explained for several reasons. In English controlled areas of Ireland (especially around The Pale), it was declared that the Irish take on names in an English form and many were required to do so in order to do business with the powers that be, or to obtain a tenancy on English controlled land. Census takers were also allowed to use either form, with or without the Gaelic prefix. It also was not uncommon for the 'Mac' or 'Mc' prefix to simply be incorporated into the surname to result