McQuillan and MacQuillan are surnames of Irish origin. There are several unrelated origins of the surnames McQuillan and MacQuillan.
The Ulster variant of the surname was claimed to be an
anglicisation
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
of the
Gaelic
Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to:
Languages
* Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
''Mac Uighilín'' (''son of Hugelin''), the name allegedly adopted by the family of Hugelin de Mandeville. The de Mandevilles were a
Cambro-Norman
Cambro-Normans (; "Wales", ; ) were Normans who settled in southern Wales and the Welsh Marches after the Norman invasion of Wales. Cambro-Norman knights were also the leading force in the Cambro-Norman invasion of Ireland, led by Richard de ...
family and had conquered an area of north Antrim.The Book of Ulster Surnames, The Black Staff Press, In reality the de Mandevilles sold their estates in northern Antrim to the McQuillans of County Down. Both families had previously held the office of "constable of the bonnaght" for the Earldom of Ulster – a system adopted from the Irish where mercenaries were hired to act as a body of standing troops.MacQuillan Clan Association /ref> The McQuillans renamed the lands they acquired "
the Route The Route may refer to:
* The Route (film), a Ugandan film
* The Route (TV series), a Spanish television series
* Route, County Antrim a medieval territory in Gaelic Ireland
See also
* Route (disambiguation)
Route or routes may refer to:
* A ...
", derived from their "rout", a common term then for a private army.Bardon, Jonathan, A History of Ulster, page 45. The Black Staff Press, 2005.
These McQuillans played a large role in the history of County Antrim
Jack McQuillan
John McQuillan (30 August 1920 – 8 March 1998) was an Irish politician, trade unionist and army officer.
Early life
He was born in Ballyforan, County Roscommon in 1920, the eldest of seven childlen. His father, Thomas Francis McQuillan was ...
Matt McQuillan
Matt McQuillan (born 19 June 1981) is a Canadian professional golfer. He has played on the Canadian Tour since 2003, and won one tournament there. McQuillan earned 2011 playing privileges on the PGA Tour with a strong performance in stage three o ...
Rachel McQuillan
Rachel McQuillan (born 2 December 1971) is a retired tennis player from Australia.
She was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.Tony McQuillan (born 1951), Australian Test cricket match umpire