McIntyre surname meaning

McIntyre is the usual English spelling of Scottish Gaelic Mac an tSaoir, literally “son of the craftsman.” Saoir points to a skilled worker—often glossed as carpenter or mason—so the surname is a patronymic built on an occupational byname, not a direct trade name for every bearer. MacIntyre and McIntire are common variants; Irish McAteer is the cognate anglicization of the same Gaelic formula. Parent’s name is the right catalog type because the Mac- structure marks descent, and that reading is high confidence.