Patronymic was used by illegitimate royal children who were acknowledged as such by their fathers. The use of "Mac" in some form was prevalent in Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Manx, in all of which it denotes "son". "Mc" is also a frequent anglicisation in both Scotland and Ireland. In Ireland, the forms "Mag" and "M'" are encountered. The prefix "Mac" is used to form a patronym, such as "Mac Coinnich" – or the anglicized 'Mackenzie' – son of Coinneach/Kenneth. The female equivalent of "Mac" is "Nic", condensed from "nighean mhic" (in Scottish Gaelic) or "iníon mhic" (in Irish), both meaning daughter.
Fitzpatrick (surname) Fitzpatrick (surname) The surname Fitzpatrick is the known translation of at least two different surnames: Mac Giolla Phádraig and Ó Maol Phádraig from the original Irish to English. Currently, it is ranked as the 60th most common surname in Ireland with an estimated 12,700 individuals bearing the name. While both "Mac Giolla Phádraig" and "Ó Maol Phádraig" have similar meanings, they are likely unrelated; yet both have arrived in the modern era as "Fitzpatrick". Despite the prefix ""Fitz-"", Fitzpatrick is not a name of Hiberno-Norman descent. Giolla Phádraig (means "the devotee of Patrick"). Gilla Patráic mac Donnchada was a tenth