Frequency: (4512)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Scottish: 1. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Iain Uidhir ‘son of sallow John’. This form is associated mainly with Ross-shire. 2. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Oighre ‘son of the heir’. This form is associated mainly with Perthshire. 3. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir ‘son of the steward or keeper’. The same name in Ireland was commonly Anglicized as Weir.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
