McDaid — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Mac Daibhéid
Meaning: 'son of David'
Traditional stronghold: Derry, Donegal
Pronunciation: mick-DADE; Irish Mac Daibhéid: mock DAV-aid
History of the McDaid name
McDaid is Mac Daibhéid, 'son of David', a name of the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, where the family descend from the O'Dohertys through a thirteenth-century ancestor named Daibhéad. McDevitt is simply another anglicisation of the same patronymic, and both forms remain concentrated in Donegal and Derry city. The same Irish original, rendered Davitt, was borne by the Land League founder Michael Davitt of Mayo, making this modest patronymic the root of one of the most consequential names in Irish history.
Variants: McDevitt · McDade · MacDaid · Davitt (same origin)
Famous bearers of the name
- Johnny McDaid — Derry musician of Snow Patrol and co-writer of hits with Ed Sheeran.
- Jim McDaid — Donegal doctor and TD who served as a government minister.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Connor · Gallagher · Boyle · Doherty · Sweeney · O'Donnell · Duffy · McLoughlin