Quote Originally Posted by JSFMACLJR View Post
It's actually a false generalization. Mc and Mac were used indiscriminately, at least in the Highlands. My MacLean forebearers left the Isle of Mull as McLeans, with not a bit of Irish blood. Two generations later, some of the family had changed the spelling to MacLean.

The spelling of surnames just didn't bide by any set rules. Mac, Mc, M'--these were all used amongst the Highland clans.

Regards,
Sandford
I too have distant relatives going by the same base surname: Crain which originates in Islay (25 miles off the Irish coast). We have family grave markers which say Crain, MacCrain, and McCrain. I does make it confusing at times when tracing lineage. Sometimes when these relatives moved to England, Ireland and France their surnames had slightly different spellings also.