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.
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