McCartney

Mc·Cart·ney
M3C3C3A1R1T1N1E1Y4
/məkˈkɑː(ɹ)t.ni/

proper noun

An Irish surname from Scottish Gaelic, notably of Sir Paul McCartney (b. 1942), one of the Beatles.

OriginScottish Gaelic Mac Artaine ← Old Irish art →
CommonScrabble 18
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Macartney

  1. An Irish surname from Scottish Gaelic, notably of Sir Paul McCartney (b. 1942), one of the Beatles.
  2. An unincorporated community in Waterloo, Grant County, Wisconsin, United States.

Origin

  1. Old Irishart“bear”
  2. Scottish GaelicMac Artaine
  3. EnglishMcCartney

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Artaine (literally “son of Artan”), from mac (“son”) + Artan, a diminutive of the name Art, from Old Irish art (“bear”). Compare McCartan, of similar origin.

More words from Scottish Gaelic, Old Irish

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

McCartney. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/McCartney

MLA

“McCartney.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/McCartney. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “McCartney,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/McCartney.

Source: McCartney on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.