MacGill
The name MacGill appears in 18th century Argyll in forms
such as McGeyll / McIgeyll / McGeill / MacIgheil. In a number of entries
in the Inverary Sheriff Court "Register of Bonds" individuals
bearing these names are also given the name McIvoill, which is a well
known phonetic form of Mc'illemhaoil / MacGhillemhaoil - one of the two
Gaelic originals from which the name MacMillan is derived. In other words
the "Gill" of MacGill stands for "Mhaoil", as is most
apparent in other transitional forms found in the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries, such as McVeil / McIveil / McIyell.
In the 15th century the Barons MacIyell / McGeill were lairds of
Barrichbeyan, a property that was originally part of the estate of
Craignish; and the traditions of the MacCouls of Craignish suggest that
these two families shared a common origin (MacCoul is a phonetic version
of MacDhugaill, but this clan did not belong to the same kindred as their
neighbours the MacDougalls of Lorn - and probably in fact took their name
from Dugald mac Malcolm mhic Mhaolain).
In later centuries there were quite a few McGills in Kintyre and local
traditions there confirmed that they were in origin McMillans - as
reported by Andrew McKerral in his 1948 book "Kintyre in the
Seventeenth Century". The most striking case yet found of the variety
of names that eventually became - in some cases - "MacGill", is
a drover and changekeeper in Kilmartin, Glassary, in the 1760s called
Duncan, whose many entries include a surname given variously as McIgheill,
McGheill, McIyeall, McYeill, and Bell - as well
as McIlvoill; i.e. MacMillan.