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.
Bowie (surname) Bowie (surname) Bowie is a Scottish surname. The name can be derived from the Gaelic nickname "buidhe", meaning "yellow", "fair-haired". The surname can also be an Anglicised form of the Irish surname "Ó Buadhaigh"; this surname means "descendant of "Buadhach"" and is also rendered as Bogue and Boyce. The personal name "Buadhach" means "victorious". The surname "Bowie" is rendered in Scottish Gaelic as Buidheach (masculine) and Bhuidheach (feminine), as well as Mac<nowiki>'</nowiki>IlleBhuidhe (masculine) and Nic<nowiki>'</nowiki>IlleBhuidhe (feminine). Early instances of the surname in Scotland, recorded in 1481, are: "Boye", "Bowy", and "Boee". A family of the surname, the Bowie family, was