Maclean or MacLean

**T-Bone** · 21st November 10, 07:51 AM

Does anyone have an answer as to why the name Maclean is sometimes spelled with a lower case l and sometimes spelled with an upper case L? All other clan "Mac" names use upper case letters after the Mac.
Just curious.

**ForresterModern** · 21st November 10, 08:07 AM

I too am curious about this because of a line in the movie "A River Runs Through It", where the father, a clearly Scottish ancestry Presbyterian (I believe) minister, makes the comment about his youngest son, Paul, the journalist/reporter and family rebel, having changed the spelling of his last name in his byline from Maclean to MacLean, stating with obvious disdain, "He's even changed the spelling of his name in the paper to MacLean with a capital L. Now everyone will think we are lowland scots." The disdain was not just for the spelling change, but more so for the distaste of being "mistaken" for a lowland scot because of it.

**macwilkin** · 21st November 10, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by ForresterModern

I too am curious about this because of a line in the movie "A River Runs Through It", where the father, a clearly Scottish ancestry Presbyterian (I believe) minister, makes the comment about his youngest son, Paul, the journalist/reporter and family rebel, having changed the spelling of his last name in his byline from Maclean to MacLean, stating with obvious disdain, "He's even changed the spelling of his name in the paper to MacLean with a capital L. Now everyone will think we are lowland scots." The disdain was not just for the spelling change, but more so for the distaste of being "mistaken" for a lowland scot because of it.

One of the best parts in the movie, INMHO. In the book, the Rev. Maclean clarifies it even further by stating that everyone will think they're Lowlanders and not Islanders.

T.

**creagdhubh** · 27th November 10, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by cajunscot

One of the best parts in the movie, INMHO. In the book, the Rev. Maclean clarifies it even further by stating that everyone will think they're Lowlanders and not Islanders.

T.

Precisely Todd! Sandy could best clear this up, however from my understanding the "L" is not capitalized.

**Paul Henry** · 27th November 10, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by creagdhubh

Precisely Todd! Sandy could best clear this up, however from my understanding the "L" is not capitalized.

see post #11 for the answer

**creagdhubh** · 28th November 10, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by paulhenry

see post #11 for the answer

Cheers.

**ThistleDown** · 27th November 10, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by creagdhubh

Precisely Todd! Sandy could best clear this up, however from my understanding the "L" is not capitalized.

Answered earlier in the thread somewhere, Kyle. In the US, just as in Scotland, the spelling is this way and that way and all are correct. It is the pronunciation of the name Maclean that's a chuckle for Scots.

**creagdhubh** · 28th November 10, 08:55 AM

Originally Posted by ThistleDown

Answered earlier in the thread somewhere, Kyle. In the US, just as in Scotland, the spelling is this way and that way and all are correct. It is the pronunciation of the name Maclean that's a chuckle for Scots.

Understood. Same goes for the Macphersons, and I would argue for any Highland clan, or Scottish family- ultimately, the spelling really doesn't matter...like you said, it is the pronunciation. Hope all is well in your world...cheers mate!

Slainte,

**Riverkilt** · 21st November 10, 08:27 AM

I am a Macdonald. What my grandfather Murdoch taught me was that Macdonald was for Island Scot branches of the clan - ours from Skye - and MacDonald was for Highland branches of the clan.

My family has used Macdonald for ten generations that I can document.

Perhaps the Maclean's are similar.

Here's the link to a now inactive Facebook group about Macdonald with a little d. Implies for the Macdonalds the connecton is to Lord of the Isles.

http://www.facebook.com/Riverkilt#!/...gid=2414505616

Hope that's kinda helpful. Know I get REAL TIRED of correcting folks politely as I can.

**ThistleDown** · 21st November 10, 09:35 AM

Perhaps Sandy will come on with an answer specific to the Macleans, but in the case of most others it is/was often how it was written by someone other than the holder of the name. So Macdonald/MacDonald/McDonald/M.Donald referring to the same individual in four different documents. For some reason several generations ago a chief of the Macintoshes himself wrote his name as MacKintosh and it has remained that for the chiefly line ever since.

So it's not accurate, T-Bone, to say that all other "Mac" clan names use an upper case letter following: Macgregor is often found as MacGregor, Macgillivray (and McGillivray) more often than MacGillivray, Mackenzie more often than MacKenzie, Maclachlan more often than MacLachlan, for example.

In Scotland, that is. I understand that Ellis Island contributed a lot to name-change in the US.