Surname McCOOL - Meaning and Origin
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read moreMcCOOL: What does the surname McCOOL mean?
The surname McCool is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "Mac Cumhaill" or "MacCumaill." The prefix "Mac" means "son of" while "Cumhaill" is a personal name that means "champion." Therefore, McCool can be translated to mean "son of a champion." It is connected to the legendary Irish character Fionn mac Cumhaill, who was a mythical hunter-warrior known for his wisdom and generosity. His tales are part of the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, also known as Ossianic Cycle. Over time and with numerous relocations and misspellings during immigration, Mc Cumhaill has had several variances including McCool, MacCool, and MacCoul. This surname is spread across Irish and Scottish communities around the world.
Order DNA origin analysisMcCOOL: Where does the name McCOOL come from?
The surname McCool originates from Irish and Scottish Gaelic. It is an anglicized form of the Old Gaelic "MacCúgall" or "MacDougall," meaning "son of Dougal." The personal byname Dougal signifies "dark stranger," deriving from the elements "Dubh," meaning black or dark, and "Gall," alluding to a stranger or, more specifically, a Danish Viking.
The Scottish MacDougalls on the West coast of Scotland are associated with this name. Still, in Ireland, it primarily belongs to the northern counties, particularly Donegal, where the sept MacCúgall was formerly influential. They trace their lineage back to Niall of the Nine Hostages, a legendary Irish king.
Today, the surname McCool is more common in the United States, Northern Ireland, England, Canada, and Australia. While the majority of McCools are found in the United States, the name retains strong concentrations in Northern Ireland due to historical migrations and continuous lineage. Some minor alternate spellings of the name include MacCoul, MacCool, and M'Cool.
Variations of the surname McCOOL
The surname McCool is thought to be of Irish origin, stemming from the Gaelic surname MacCúg or Mac Úg, which means 'son of the young one'. However, it is not uncommon for Irish surnames to undergo changes in spelling based on phonetic transcriptions when translated to English or adapted by non-Irish speakers.
Thus, some variants of the name McCool may include McCoul, McCoolle, McCule, McCooly, and MacCool. The single 'c' versions of these spellings, like Macoul or Macule, could also be the variants.
Many surnames of a Gaelic origin also simplified the 'Mac' or 'Mc' prefix, leading to versions such as Cool or Coole. Alternatively, the names could be extended to McKool or even MackCool. Similar phonetic changes could lead to surnames such as Coolson or Coolman.
Surnames may also be influenced by regional dialects and accents, leading to a wide array of potential variations. However, it is important to note that many of these variants are quite rare and the majority of people will still use the standard 'McCool' spelling.
Famous people with the name McCOOL
- Michelle McCool: A retired professional wrestler best known for her time in WWE. She is also a two-time WWE Divas Champion and a two-time WWE Women's Champion.
- Michael McCool: A noted computer scientist known for his academic work in High Performance Computing and graphics hardware.
- William Jesse "Billy" McCool: A Major League Baseball pitcher in the 1960s who played for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.
- McCool: A musician known for being the guitarist for the band Stage Dolls.
- Mick McCool: An Irish former Gaelic footballer.
- Laura McCool: A journalist and the editor of Mirror.co.uk who has won multiple industry awards for her work.
- Gregg McCool: An American film producer noted for such movies as "The Missing" and "Sahara".
- William McCool: NASA astronaut who was a pilot on the space shuttle Columbia that tragically exploded upon re-entry to Earth in 2003. Please note: McCool is not a very common surname, hence it is less likely to find a large list of famous individuals with that surname.