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.
Leavy surname Leavy may appear prefixed with the Gaelic language "Mac" or even "Mc", "MacA" and "MacE". Notable people with the surname include: Leavy Leavy (Lay-Vee) is a Scottish surname. It arose from the Scots slurring of the surname of the Irish MacDunleavy (dynasty) (Gaelic language MacDuinnshléibhe) royals, exiled in the still Celts Highlands of Scotland after the 12th century English conquest of the last remnants of the Dunleavy’s, thereto, though reduced, still sovereign Irish state in southeastern Ulster, that is the (Ulaidh (province). The Dunleavy/MacNulty (Gaelic language Mac an Ultaigh, for an individual of the Ulaidh tribe) were the last