The Macleods are thought by some to descend from the old Lords of the
Isle of Man, as they began, early in the 18th Century, to add the Arms of
Man to their Coat of Arms, but this is by no means conclusive as such
heraldic assumptions were not uncommon in the 17th and 18th Centuries.
McLeod is the Anglicization of the Gaelic "MacLeoid", meaning son (Mac) of
Leod, which derives from the Norse personal name "Ljotr" or "Ljot",
originally a double stemmed name of which this word was the first element,
probably from "ljot-ulf", ugly wolf. An interesting namebearers, listed in
the "Dictionary of National Biography", were: Mary MacLeod (1569 - 1674),
the Gaelic "Poetess of the Isles", whose poems were chiefly panegyrics of
the MacLeods; and John McLeod (1777 - 1820), a naval surgeon and author, who
was concerned in the capture of a French ship, and tried for piracy. A Coat
of Arms granted to a family of the name is described thus: "Quarterly, first
and fourth, blue a castle triple-towered and embattled silver masoned black
windows and porch red; second and third, red three legs in armour conjoined
at the upper part of the thigh proper placed in triangle and garnished and
spurred gold, the arms of the Isle of Man, all within a bordure embattled
gold. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of
Gillandres MacLeod, which was dated 1227, in the "Acts of Parliament of
Scotland", during the reign of King Alexander 11 of Scotland, 1214 - 1249.
Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In
England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in
every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing
variants of the original spelling.
© Copyright: Name Orgin Research www.surnamedb.com 1980 - 2007
First Generation - Michael McLeod and Ann
Gillis
1. Michael McLeod
m: Ann Gillis
children:
2.
i. Donald McLeod
Second Generation
2. Donald McLeod (Michael)
baptized: 25 Feb 1867
m: 25 Feb 1867 to
Mary Stuart daughter of
Malcolm Stuart and Johanna Griffin
Donald McLeod's baptism and marriage:
"B1. Donald McLeod. On the 25 February 1867 I
received the profession of faith of Donald McLeod aged (left blank) son
of Michael McLeod and Ann Gillis of Vernon River and absolved him from heresy
and baptized him conditionally on the 4th of March in presence of Archibald
McDonald and Clevie (left blank) and Joseph Arsenault and on
the same day after one publication of the bans of marriage between him on the
one part and Mary Stuart daughter of Malcolm Stuart and Johanna Griffin of Lot 8
on the other part no impediment being found I received their mutual consent to
marriage in presence of John Stuart and Margaret McDonald and imparted the
nuptial benediction." Signed AZ Trudelle SM Pp 54
Note: The marriage was registered in the page margin
as M1 Donald McLeod and Mary Stuart.
children (adopted):
i. Annie McLeod
ii. George McLeod
iii. William McLeod