# Since when is "Mc" pronounced "Mac"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241 "2008-03-13T14:39:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/1 "2008-03-13T14:39:02Z")
Phone call just now at work: Caller - “Hello I need tech support.” Me - “OK, what’s your name?” Caller - “Cathy Mackie. M.C.K.I.E…Mackie.” WTF? M.C.K.I.E. does NOT spell “mac-kee”, it spells “mi-KEE” like McDonalds. The Mc is quick. There is no A in your name. Your name is not how you say it. Furthermore, McAffee Anti-virus software should not be pronounced “MAC-a-fee”. By its spelling, it’s “mc-AF-ee”. All the other McNames get this right! McArthur, McBride, McFarland, McDuffey, etc. I could go on. Imagine proncing McGrady like “MAC-greh-dee”. Follow the rules! Learn your name! Too lame for the pit. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/2 "2008-03-13T14:44:14Z")
I bet you really hate people whos name is spelled McLeod but pronounced Mac Cloud. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/3 "2008-03-13T14:45:24Z")
It’s a Scottish quirk of pronunciation. There’s no rhyme or reason to it AFAIK but it’s a good indicator that the person is Scottish, not Irish. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/4 "2008-03-13T14:45:43Z")
Ask Reba McEntire. Or John McEnroe. Be careful, though. With that temper of his, he might throw a McIntosh at you. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/5 "2008-03-13T14:47:38Z")
[QUOTE=Flander] Follow the rules! [/QUOTE] Ah yes, the wonderful rules of the English language, where everything is pronounced just as it looks. You’re a bit like the people who tell me I don’t pronounce my own _first_ name correctly. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/6 "2008-03-13T15:04:22Z")
Seriously, I don’t get this at all. Sure it makes it a little confusing when trying to transcribe someone’s name, but name pronunciation is passed through oral tradition. If a family has sad their name “MacKie” for generations, do they need to legally change the spelling to MacKie to make it an acceptable pronunciation? If language, grammar, and pronunciation are mutable over time, why are names any less so? Even if you’re right, you saying “mi-KEE” is no more or less correct than saying “ma-KEE”, which really isn’t that far off from what she said. Around here, I’ll hear McDonald’s pronounced “mic-DON-ahlds” or “mac-DON-ahlds”; is one more or less correct than the other? Is it possible that the vowel sound used when pronouncing such words is regional or cultural or something? The only time I’ll have a problem with someone’s name is if it’s completely impossible to guess the pronunciation based on the spell, like if they pronounce it “Smith” but spell it “Johnson”. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/7 "2008-03-13T15:07:09Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Ah yes, the wonderful rules of the English language, where everything is pronounced just as it looks. You’re a bit like the people who tell me I don’t pronounce my own _first_ name correctly. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Is it latin like “gor-ee-yah”? I don’t hate the people, it just irks me. > [@friedo](#): > > Ask Reba McEntire. Or John McEnroe. Be careful, though. With that temper of his, he might throw a McIntosh at you. Maybe I can ask the Canadians for a few more A’s to fill in the gaps? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/8 "2008-03-13T15:09:35Z")
[QUOTE=MikeG] It’s a Scottish quirk of pronunciation. There’s no rhyme or reason to it AFAIK but it’s a good indicator that the person is Scottish, not Irish. [/QUOTE] No, they say “Mac” in Ireland for that too. My ex was a McDonnell. The Irish language version of this was “Mac Domhnhaill” (or in her case, because she was female, “Nic Domhnhaill” with some mutation to the D that made it into a G sound…), so the English language version was pronounced “Mac Donnell”. It’s an ancient, rather than a new thing. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/9 "2008-03-13T15:16:54Z")
[QUOTE=Blaster Master] The only time I’ll have a problem with someone’s name is if it’s completely impossible to guess the pronunciation based on the spell, like if they pronounce it “Smith” but spell it “Johnson”. [/QUOTE] What if it’s spelled “Featheringstonehaugh” and pronounced “Throatwarbler Mangrove”? I can’t believe nobody else did this. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/10 "2008-03-13T15:23:07Z")
[QUOTE=Flander] Is it latin like “gor-ee-yah”? [/QUOTE] Spanish, actually, so roll the Ls 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/11 "2008-03-13T15:34:39Z")
[QUOTE=Blaster Master] The only time I’ll have a problem with someone’s name is if it’s completely impossible to guess the pronunciation based on the spell, like if they pronounce it “Smith” but spell it “Johnson”. [/QUOTE] We have a customer whose last name is spelled Przybylski. It is pronounced “shi-bel-skee” and another spelled Przybysz prounced “ba-shib-iz”, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/12 "2008-03-13T15:41:59Z")
_Mc_ and _M’_ are merely abbreviations for _Mac_. When pronounced “correctly,” they all sound like “mack.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/13 "2008-03-13T15:48:35Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] _Mc_ and _M’_ are merely abbreviations for _Mac_. When pronounced “correctly,” they all sound like “mack.” [/QUOTE] Except when they don’t sound so much like “mack” (McConnell is one that springs to mind - usually pronounced “M’Connel”) ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/14 "2008-03-13T16:09:09Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Ah yes, the wonderful rules of the English language, where everything is pronounced just as it looks. You’re a bit like the people who tell me I don’t pronounce my own _first_ name correctly. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] GO-rilla? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/15 "2008-03-13T16:43:53Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] _Mc_ and _M’_ are merely abbreviations for _Mac_. When pronounced “correctly,” they all sound like “mack.” [/QUOTE] So is ‘Maguire’ also pronounced ‘correctly’ this way due to its origins? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/16 "2008-03-13T17:23:44Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] So is ‘Maguire’ also pronounced ‘correctly’ this way due to its origins? [/QUOTE] Hah! And we Americans get regular lectures from the Britishers about our blindness to irony! So that’s double irony! It burrrrrrns! Note the quotation marks around “correctly.” I’m using the word only because the OP introduced the concept of “correctness” into this discussion. Such quotation marks can be used to introduce the idea of sarcasm or doubt. As in “I doubt that there is any such thing as _correct_ in this circumstance, but if you’re going to get shirty about it, you’re the one that’s in the wrong.” And, if you want to get nitpicky, “Maguire” has no “mac,” “mc,” or “m’,” in the spelling so _obviously_ what I said doesn’t apply to it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/17 "2008-03-13T19:04:29Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Hah! And we Americans get regular lectures from the Britishers about our blindness to irony! So that’s double irony! It burrrrrrns! Note the quotation marks around “correctly.” I’m using the word only because the OP introduced the concept of “correctness” into this discussion. Such quotation marks can be used to introduce the idea of sarcasm or doubt. As in “I doubt that there is any such thing as _correct_ in this circumstance, but if you’re going to get shirty about it, you’re the one that’s in the wrong.” And, if you want to get nitpicky, “Maguire” has no “mac,” “mc,” or “m’,” in the spelling so _obviously_ what I said doesn’t apply to it. 😛 [/QUOTE] In other words: McWhoosh. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/18 "2008-03-13T20:10:34Z")
[QUOTE=Flander] Maybe I can ask the Canadians for a few more A’s to fill in the gaps? 😛 [/QUOTE] The only people in Canada who say MickIntosh for McIntosh are francophones (but not if they have scottish ancestry). They quickly realize once they talk to someone english that they’ve been saying their neighbour’s name wrong for years. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/19 "2008-03-13T20:20:07Z")
To respect the OP as seriously as possible [QUOTE=Flander] Since when is “Mc” pronounced “Mac”?[/size] [/QUOTE] With respect to McKie , it’s a sept of Mackay, so traces back to Mac Aoidh, i.e. It’s been pronounced that way for a long, long time. We’re talking a family that can trace it’s routes back for a 1000 years or thereabouts. While it’s only been in very recently that Americans have managed to mangle the pronunciation of Mc to Mick. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241/20 "2008-03-13T20:51:28Z")
It’s to balance out all the times I’ve enunciated garefully and spelled my last name “It’s **Mac** Fergus, M-A-C…”\* and still it gets written down and pronounced McFergus more often than not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-mc-pronounced-mac/441241.md?page=2)