Parent’s name

McClure surname meaning

A Scottish and Irish Gaelic patronymic, chiefly from Mac Gille Uidhir or related Mac Giolla forms.

Confidence: Disputed
US frequency: Rank 742 · 45,586 people
Common variants: McClure, MacClure, McLure, Mac Gille Uidhir

Confidence: Disputed. More than one origin is plausible, or sources disagree. We show the conflict rather than pick a cute answer.

The short story

McClure is a Scottish and Irish Gaelic surname with more than one recorded expansion. One route is Mac Gille Uidhir or Mac Giolla Uidhir, often interpreted as “son of the servant of the pale or cold one”; another is connected with Mac Gille Dheóradha, “son of the servant of the pilgrim.” McLure and MacClure preserve spelling variants, while the competing Gaelic forms need not describe one lineage. The catalog uses parent’s name with disputed confidence because Mac clearly marks descent, but the underlying personal and devotional elements vary across sources.

Also seen as: McClure, MacClure, McLure, Mac Gille Uidhir

Sources used

Ancestry surname meaning for McClure (Gaelic patronymic routes)
Wikipedia 'McClure (surname)' (Scottish and Irish origins)
Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)