Manx names and surnames come from the Isle of Man’s own Gaelic language, with a strong Norse layer: first names such as Moirrey, Breesha, Aalish, Fenella, Illiam, Juan and Orry, and surnames that start with C, K or Q, such as Quayle, Kermode, Kinvig, Corkill, Kelly and Corlett, because the old Mac fell away and its last sound stuck to the name. Kelly was the island’s commonest surname in the 1881 census, with 2,118 people, ahead of Quayle (1,349) and Corlett (1,139), according to the Manx surnames tables.
This guide is part of our Scottish Names collection. Browse the full Scottish names directory, or start with our Celtic names guide, which sets Manx beside the other five Celtic nations. Manx surnames grew from the same Mac habit as Scotland’s, so our Gaelic last names guide is the natural bridge.
This is for anyone with a Quayle, a Kermode or a Mylchreest in the family tree, and for parents who want a Manx first name that still feels like a name rather than a quiz question. You get 34 first names and 59 surnames, each with its Manx or older Gaelic form, its meaning, a rough guide to saying it and a note on whether it is back in use or found mainly on the island.
A wee bit of context. Manx is a Goidelic language, a close cousin of Scottish Gaelic and Irish, unlike the Brittonic Cornish names and Breton names we covered earlier. The island had Gaelic, Norse and then English rulers, and its names carry all three. If you are heading over to look for your own name on a gravestone, our guide to Douglas, Isle of Man is a good place to start.
Two Scots Abroad · Scottish names
Manx name and surname finder
34 Manx first names and 59 Manx surnames. Filter by boy, girl or surname, by where the name came from (Gaelic Mac, a saint’s servant, Norse, Norman), and by whether it is back in use or found mainly on the island.
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How common are Manx surnames today?
A handful of Manx surnames still dominate the island, and some are found almost nowhere else. The 1881 census and a 1986 telephone directory both put Kelly first, with Quayle, Corlett, Moore and Cain close behind. The second table below ranks names by an index of how much likelier you were to meet them on the Isle of Man than anywhere else in Britain in 1881: a 1 means no difference, and Carine scores over 500.
| Rank 1881 | Surname | People, 1881 | Rank 1986 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly | 2,118 | 1 |
| 2 | Quayle | 1,349 | 3 |
| 3 | Corlett | 1,139 | 2 |
| 4 | Moore | 944 | 4 |
| 5 | Clague | 882 | 9 |
| 6 | Christian | 873 | 6 |
| 7 | Cain | 790 | 5 |
| 8 | Quirk | 637 | not in top 11 |
| 9 | Watterson | 632 | not in top 11 |
| 10 | Cannell | 612 | not in top 11 |
| Surname | People, 1881 | Index (1 = as common as in the rest of Britain) |
|---|---|---|
| Carine | 78 | 538 |
| Kewish | 89 | 529 |
| Comish | 108 | 497 |
| Clague | 882 | 457 |
| Costain | 304 | 449 |
| Corkill | 611 | 445 |
| Kennaugh | 243 | 443 |
| Faragher | 295 | 424 |
| Kissack | 323 | 424 |
| Shimmin | 609 | 421 |
The names travelled. In the 2010 US Census surname list, Corlett, Quayle, Callister and Cannell each had more than 1,000 bearers, while Kinvig, Cregeen, Qualtrough and Mylchreest were too rare to be listed at all (the list stops at names with 100 or more people).
| Surname | People in the US, 2010 | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| Quirk | 6,392 | 5,443 |
| Watterson | 3,690 | 8,873 |
| Callister | 1,053 | 23,957 |
| Corlett | 1,668 | 17,033 |
| Quayle | 1,539 | 18,098 |
| Cannell | 1,036 | 24,222 |
| Corkill | 712 | 32,339 |
| Teare | 558 | 39,419 |
| Shimmin | 488 | 44,109 |
| Kneale | 437 | 48,347 |
| Clague | 436 | 48,436 |
| Kermode | 345 | 58,735 |
First names tell a different story. The island registered 566 births in 2025, and the Central Registry figures put Alba and Maeve (or Meave) top for girls and Noah (or Noa) top for boys, with no Manx-language name in the published favourites. The local news site Gef even closed its 2025 baby names round-up by nudging parents towards Aalish, Juan and Voirrey.
From Mac to Q, K and C: how Manx surnames work
Manx surnames were made the Gaelic way, with Mac, son of, in front of the father’s name. Because the Mac was never stressed, its final c or k sound slid onto the next word, and when the Mac itself dropped out, that sound became the first letter of the surname. Mac was almost universal in the early 1500s and had nearly vanished by the 1600s, which is why the island is full of names starting with C, K and Q. The Irish O never took root at all. Arthur William Moore’s Manx Names gives the old forms below.
| Old Gaelic or Norse form | Meaning | Manx surname today |
|---|---|---|
| Mac Phail | Paul’s son | Quayle |
| Mac Ceallaigh | Ceallach’s son | Kelly |
| Mac Diarmid | Diarmaid’s son | Kermode |
| Mac Thorkell | Thorketill’s son | Corkill |
| Mac Thorliot | Thorljot’s son | Corlett |
| Mac Lucas | Luke’s son | Clucas |
| Mac Isaac | Isaac’s son | Kissack |
| Mac Eoin | John’s son | Kewin |
| Mac Walter | Walter’s son | Qualtrough |
| Mac Gilla Chreest | son of Christ’s servant | Mylchreest |
| Mac y theyir | the carpenter’s son | Teare |
| Mac an Gabhain | the smith’s son | Gawne |
Three more habits explain the rest. Names built on Giolla or Guilley, servant, were squeezed from MacGilla into Myley and then Myl-, so the son of Christ’s servant became Mylchreest, and the son of Mary’s servant Mylvorrey. Women were once named with Ine, daughter, cognate with Scottish Gaelic Nic, until the mid-1600s. And in the 1700s English-language registers used alias to record a married woman’s maiden name, as in Isabel Kelly alias Clucas.
Moore counted about 170 surnames in use at the start of the 19th century and found that about 100 (65 percent) were Celtic and about 30 (17.5 percent) Norse-Gaelic. The Norse ones work exactly like the Gaelic ones, with Mac stuck to a Viking name: Thorketill gave Corkill, the Manx twin of Scotland’s MacTorquil and MacCorquodale, which our Scottish Viking surnames guide covers from the Scottish side.
Good to know: Manx spelling was built on English habits, not on Gaelic ones, so most names are said more or less as an English reader would guess. The exceptions are the old ones Moore recorded: Kewin was said Keone, Kewish Keoush, Kewley Keolah, Cowley Cowlah and Cottier Cotchier.
Manx surnames worth knowing
Quayle
Meaning: Paul’s son. Older form: Mac Phail. Say it: KWAYL. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
Mac Phail, Paul’s son, the Manx twin of Scotland’s MacPhail. Moore calls it one of the most widely spread names on the island, and it was second in 1881 with 1,349 people. Howard Quayle, a former Chief Minister, is a modern bearer, according to the Isle of Man entry. Our Scottish Q surnames page shows how rare Q names are in Scotland by comparison.
Kelly
Meaning: Ceallach’s son (ceallach, war or strife). Older form: Mac Ceallaigh. Say it: KEL-ee. For: surname. Status: also found elsewhere.
Mac Ceallaigh, Ceallach’s son, from a word for war or strife. Kelly topped the island’s surnames in 1881 with 2,118 people and was still first in 1986. Moore notes it was as common on Man as in Ireland, so a Kelly on its own is no proof of Manx roots.
Corlett
Meaning: Thorljot’s son. Older form: Mac Thorliot (Norse Thorljotr). Say it: KOR-let. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
From the Norse name Thorljotr with Mac in front, and formerly said Curleod. Moore reckoned nearly a quarter of the people of Ballaugh and Lezayre were Corletts. It was third in 1881 and second in 1986, and 1,668 people in the United States carried it in 2010.
Kermode
Meaning: Diarmaid’s son. Older form: Mac Diarmid, or Norse Thormod. Say it: KER-mode. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
Mac Diarmid, Diarmaid’s son, though Moore thought it reached Man through the Norse name Thormod. Philip Moore Callow Kermode, an antiquarian of Manx crosses, became the first director of the Manx Museum in 1922. The film critic Mark Kermode’s mother was born in Douglas, according to his Wikipedia biography.
Kinvig
Meaning: son of the man from Little Head. Older form: Mac Kinvig (kione beg). Say it: kin-VIG. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
A nickname-turned-surname. Kin comes from kione, head, so Moore reads it as the son of a man known by where he lived, Juan of the Little Head. Kinvig first appears in 1641 and was too rare to make the 2010 US Census list.
Corkill
Meaning: Thorketill’s son (Thor and kettle). Older form: Mac Thorkell. Say it: KOR-kil. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
Mac Thorkell, from Thorketill, Thor’s kettle, a favourite Norse name. Donald MacCorkyll was rector of Ballaugh in 1408, and Edward Corkill was a Deemster in 1532. With 611 people and an index of 445 in 1881, it is among the most distinctively Manx names on record.
Cregeen
Meaning: Criocan’s son, or little grey one’s son. Older form: O Criocain, or Mac Riaghain. Say it: kre-GEEN. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
From O Criocain, or perhaps Mac Riaghain, little grey one. The famous bearer is Archibald Cregeen of Colby, whose Manx dictionary of 1838 was the first to be published. He spent over 20 years collecting words from farms and cottages across the island.
Clague
Meaning: uncertain, perhaps from Mac Liag. Older form: Mac Liag. Say it: KLAYG. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
The puzzle of the list. Moore links it with Mac Liag, a name found in an old ogham inscription at the Friary in Arbory, but marks it as uncertain. It was fifth in 1881, with 882 people, and Moore lists about 20 spellings of it, from Cleg in 1405 to Clague in 1655.
Christian
Meaning: Christian. Older form: Mac Cristin (Icelandic Kristin). Say it: KRIS-chan. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
From the Icelandic name Kristin, with Mac in front, later anglicised. The Christians were Deemsters and landowners; Illiam Dhone, Brown William, was William Christian, executed in 1663. Moore found it especially common in Maughold.
Mylchreest
Meaning: son of Christ’s servant. Older form: Mac Gilla Chreest. Say it: mil-KREEST. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
The son of Christ’s servant, from MacGilla Chreest or possibly Mael Chreest, Christ’s tonsured servant. Moore says every name starting with Myl- is purely Manx, and that old Manx speakers said this one as Mulleychreest. It is too rare to appear in the 2010 US Census list.
Qualtrough
Meaning: Walter’s son. Older form: Mac Walter. Say it: KWOL-tro. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
Mac Walter, Walter’s son, a Norman name brought by Irish families of Norman descent and squeezed into a decidedly Manx shape. In Moore’s day half the people of Rushen and Arbory were called either Qualtrough or Watterson, which is the English translation of the same name.
Kerruish
Meaning: Pierce’s son. Older form: Mac Feorais. Say it: ke-ROOSH. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
Mac Feorais, Pierce’s son, from the Anglo-Norman Bermingham family who took the name in Ireland. Moore found it almost confined to Maughold, where a rhyme ran: Christian, Callow and Kerruish, all the rest are refuse.
Corjeag
Meaning: giving dish, a Manx misreading of Cavendish. Older form: Corjeag, for Cavendish. Say it: kor-JAYG. For: surname. Status: found mainly on Man.
The oddest name on the island. A Cavendish family settled in Michael in the 1580s; Cregeen’s dictionary explains Corjeag as an alms dish, and Moore reports that the Manx took Cavendish to mean giving dish. By the mid-1600s Corjeag had replaced Cavendish in the registers.
Manx girls’ names
Moirrey
Meaning: Mary. Manx form: Moirrey (Old Irish Maire). Say it: MOR-ra. For: girl. Status: back in use today.
The Manx Mary, from Old Irish Maire. Port St Mary is Purt le Moirrey in Manx. Wikipedia’s Manx language page lists Moirrey and its softened form Voirrey among the traditional names that have made a marked comeback on the island.
Breesha
Meaning: Bridget, from Brigit (high, exalted). Manx form: Breeshey (Old Irish Brigit). Say it: BREE-zha. For: girl. Status: back in use today.
The Manx Bridget, also spelled Breeshey, from Old Irish Brigit, high or exalted. The dictionary sound is close to BREE-zha. St Bridget also left the surname Bridson, from MacGilla Brighde, son of Bridget’s servant.
Aalish
Meaning: Alice. Manx form: Aalish. Say it: AY-lish. For: girl. Status: back in use today.
The Manx Alice, also spelled Ealish. Moore found Aalish in the early parish registers as the local form of Alice, and it is now one of the revived names. Gef suggested it for 2026 babies alongside Juan and Voirrey.
Fenella
Meaning: white shoulder. Manx form: Fenella (Irish Fionnuala). Say it: fe-NEL-a. For: girl. Status: back in use today.
Fenella is the anglicised form of Irish Fionnuala, white shoulder, the daughter of Lir who was turned into a swan in the Children of Lir legend. Moore notes that the old tale says the children lived on the Isle of Man. Nine girls in England and Wales got Fenella in 2025.
Kirree
Meaning: Kate, Katie or Kitty. Manx form: Kirree, Kirry. Say it: KIR-ee. For: girl. Status: historical or rare.
The Manx Kate or Kitty. Be warned that the same spelling turns up in the title of the first Manx-language film, Ny Kirree fo Niaghtey, The Sheep Under the Snow (1983), so it may raise a smile from Manx speakers.
Manx boys’ names
Illiam
Meaning: William. Manx form: Illiam. Say it: IL-yam. For: boy. Status: back in use today.
The Manx William. Its most famous bearer is Illiam Dhone, Brown William, the name the island gave to William Christian (1608 to 1663), seen by some as a patriot and by others as a rebel. Illiam is one of the traditional names back in use.
Juan
Meaning: John. Manx form: Juan. Say it: JOO-an. For: boy. Status: back in use today.
The Manx John, said JOO-an. It is on Wikipedia’s list of revived names and was one of Gef’s three suggestions for 2026. 25 boys in England and Wales got Juan in 2025, though Juan is also the Spanish form of John, so not all of them are Manx.
Orry
Meaning: Godfrey or Godred, after King Orry. Manx form: Gorree (Old Norse Gudrodr). Say it: OR-ee. For: boy. Status: back in use today.
From King Orry, the legendary founder of Manx law, who may be Godred Crovan, the Norse king whose dynasty ruled Man and the Isles for nearly two centuries. In Manx he is Ree Gorree, from Old Norse Gudrodr. Tynwald referred to King Orry’s days in 1422, meaning time out of mind.
Pherick
Meaning: Patrick. Manx form: Pherick, Parick. Say it: FER-ick. For: boy. Status: back in use today.
The Manx Patrick, also spelled Parick, and one of the names Wikipedia lists as back in use. Moore found girls in the old registers called Callypherick, Patrick’s handmaid, from the habit of naming children as servants of a saint.
Finlo
Meaning: said to mean Dane, on uncertain authority. Manx form: Finlo, Fynlo. Say it: FIN-lo. For: boy. Status: back in use today.
An old Manx name that Moore says is supposed to mean Dane, though on uncertain authority, so treat the meaning with care. It is rare but not unknown: 4 boys in England and Wales were registered as Finlo in 2025.
Good to know: Manx, like all the modern Celtic languages, softens the first letter of a word in some positions. That is why Mary is Moirrey but also Voirrey, and why the M of Moirrey turns into a v in the surname Mylvorrey.
The Manx Gaelic revival and what it did for names
Manx nearly died. Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh, the Manx Language Society, was founded in 1899. By the mid-20th century only a few elderly native speakers were left, and the last of them, the fisherman Ned Maddrell, died on 27 December 1974. The revival that followed built on recordings, the Manx Bible and scholars such as Moore and J. J. Kneen, who wrote The Personal Names of the Isle of Man.
By the 2011 census, 1,823 people, 2.27 percent of residents, said they had some knowledge of Manx, and the Bunscoill Ghaelgagh at St John’s teaches children almost entirely in the language. The names came back with it: Moirrey and Voirrey, Illiam, Orry, Breeshey and Breesha, Aalish and Ealish, Juan, Ean, Joney, Fenella and Pherick are all named on Wikipedia’s list of traditional names back in use.
How to choose a Manx name
- Start with the revived names. Moirrey, Breesha, Aalish, Fenella, Illiam, Juan and Orry are already in use on the island, so they will not look invented.
- Use the surname as a guide. If the family is Quayle, Paayl or Illiam make a neat link; if it is Christian or Corlett, a Norse name such as Olave or Harral fits the story.
- Check the spelling with someone Manx. Breesha and Breeshey, Aalish and Ealish are both fine; pick one and stick with it.
- Put the harder ones in the middle. Conchoor, Gilchreest and Avericke are braw middle names and hard work on a nursery peg.
Watch out for: assuming a C, K or Q surname proves Manx roots. Kelly, Moore, Cain, Quirk and Callister are just as much at home in Ireland or Scotland, and Moore notes that Mac Connell, the cousin of Cannell, is common in Ulster; our Scots-Irish surnames guide covers that side. The surest Manx signs are Myl- names and the high-index names such as Carine, Kewish, Comish and Clague.
Quick list: all 93 Manx names and surnames
| Name | For | Origin | Manx or older form | Meaning | Say it | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aalish | Girl | Bible or saint | Aalish | Alice | AY-lish | Back in use today |
| Avericke | Girl | Legend or history | Aufrica, Affrica | from Aufrica, heiress of the last Norse king of Man | AV-er-ick | Historical or rare |
| Blaanid | Girl | Gaelic | Blaanid | the Manx form of Irish Blathnaid | BLAH-nid | Historical or rare |
| Breesha | Girl | Bible or saint | Breeshey (Old Irish Brigit) | Bridget, from Brigit (high, exalted) | BREE-zha | Back in use today |
| Catreeney | Girl | Bible or saint | Catreeney | Catherine | ka-TREE-na | Historical or rare |
| Conchoor | Boy | Gaelic | Conchoor (Old Irish Conchobar) | Conor, from hound and desiring | KON-khoor | Historical or rare |
| Dee | Girl | Gaelic | Dee | meaning not recorded | DEE | Historical or rare |
| Dollin | Boy | Gaelic | Dollin (from Donal) | a pet form of Donal | DOL-in | Historical or rare |
| Doncan | Boy | Gaelic | Doncan, Donkane | Duncan | DONK-an | Historical or rare |
| Ealisaid | Girl | Bible or saint | Ealisaid | Elizabeth | AY-li-sayd | Historical or rare |
| Ealish | Girl | Bible or saint | Ealish | Alice | AY-lish | Back in use today |
| Ean | Boy | Bible or saint | Ean | John | EE-an | Back in use today |
| Fenella | Girl | Legend or history | Fenella (Irish Fionnuala) | white shoulder | fe-NEL-a | Back in use today |
| Finlo | Boy | Gaelic | Finlo, Fynlo | said to mean Dane, on uncertain authority | FIN-lo | Back in use today |
| Gilchreest | Boy | Bible or saint | guilley + Creest | Christ’s servant, anglicised as Christopher | gil-KREEST | Historical or rare |
| Grainney | Girl | Gaelic | Grainney (Old Irish Grainne) | Grainne, anglicised as Grace though unrelated | GRAN-ya | Historical or rare |
| Harral | Boy | Norse | Harral (Old Norse Haraldr) | Harold | HAR-al | Historical or rare |
| Illiam | Boy | Bible or saint | Illiam | William | IL-yam | Back in use today |
| Jinnee | Girl | Bible or saint | Jinnee (from Jinn, Jane) | a pet form of Jane | JIN-ee | Historical or rare |
| Joney | Girl | Bible or saint | Jonee | Joan (sometimes Judith) | JOH-nee | Back in use today |
| Juan | Boy | Bible or saint | Juan | John | JOO-an | Back in use today |
| Kenniagh | Boy | Bible or saint | Kenniagh | Kenneth, cognate with Irish Cainneach | KEN-yakh | Historical or rare |
| Kirree | Girl | Bible or saint | Kirree, Kirry | Kate, Katie or Kitty | KIR-ee | Historical or rare |
| Margaid | Girl | Bible or saint | Margaid | Margaret | MAR-gayd | Historical or rare |
| Mian | Boy | Bible or saint | Mian | Matthew | MY-an | Historical or rare |
| Moirrey | Girl | Bible or saint | Moirrey (Old Irish Maire) | Mary | MOR-ra | Back in use today |
| Olave | Boy | Norse | Olave, Aulee (Old Norse Olafr) | Olaf | OH-lav | Historical or rare |
| Ollister | Boy | Bible or saint | Ollister (Old Irish Alaxander) | Alexander | OL-is-ter | Historical or rare |
| Orry | Boy | Legend or history | Gorree (Old Norse Gudrodr) | Godfrey or Godred, after King Orry | OR-ee | Back in use today |
| Oshin | Boy | Legend or history | Oshin | Ossian, the Irish Oisin | OSH-in | Historical or rare |
| Paayl | Boy | Bible or saint | Paayl (Old Irish Pol) | Paul | PAYL | Historical or rare |
| Peddyr | Boy | Bible or saint | Peddyr (Old Irish Petur) | Peter, stone or rock | PED-er | Historical or rare |
| Pherick | Boy | Bible or saint | Pherick, Parick | Patrick | FER-ick | Back in use today |
| Voirrey | Girl | Bible or saint | Voirrey (softened Moirrey) | Mary | VOR-ra | Back in use today |
| Brew | Surname | Trade or rank | Mac Vriw | the judge’s son | BROO | Found mainly on Man |
| Bridson | Surname | Servant of a saint | Mac Gilla Brighde | son of Bridget’s servant | BRID-son | Found mainly on Man |
| Cain | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Cathain | Cathan’s son (cath, battle) | KAYN | Also found elsewhere |
| Callister | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Alister | Alexander’s son | KAL-is-ter | Found mainly on Man |
| Callow | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Calbach | Calbach’s son (bald) | KAL-o | Also found elsewhere |
| Cannell | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Conaill | Conall’s son | KAN-el | Found mainly on Man |
| Casement | Surname | Norse | Mac Asmundr | Asmund’s son | KAYS-ment | Also found elsewhere |
| Christian | Surname | Norse | Mac Cristin (Icelandic Kristin) | Christian | KRIS-chan | Found mainly on Man |
| Clague | Surname | Other Gaelic | Mac Liag | uncertain, perhaps from Mac Liag | KLAYG | Found mainly on Man |
| Clucas | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Lucas | Luke’s son | KLOO-kas | Found mainly on Man |
| Comish | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Hamish, or Mac Thomas | James’s son, or Thomas’s son | KOM-ish | Found mainly on Man |
| Corjeag | Surname | Translated | Corjeag, for Cavendish | giving dish, a Manx misreading of Cavendish | kor-JAYG | Found mainly on Man |
| Corkill | Surname | Norse | Mac Thorkell | Thorketill’s son (Thor and kettle) | KOR-kil | Found mainly on Man |
| Corlett | Surname | Norse | Mac Thorliot (Norse Thorljotr) | Thorljot’s son | KOR-let | Found mainly on Man |
| Costain | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Austeyn | Augustin’s son | kos-TAYN | Found mainly on Man |
| Cottier | Surname | Norse | Mac Ottar | Ottar’s son | KOTCH-yer | Found mainly on Man |
| Cowley | Surname | Norse | Mac Aulay (Norse Olafr) | Olaf’s son | KOW-la | Also found elsewhere |
| Craine | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Ciarain | Ciaran’s son | KRAYN | Found mainly on Man |
| Crebbin | Surname | Anglo-Norman | Mac Robin | Robin’s son | KREB-in | Found mainly on Man |
| Cregeen | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | O Criocain, or Mac Riaghain | Criocan’s son, or little grey one’s son | kre-GEEN | Found mainly on Man |
| Crellin | Surname | Norse | Mac Raghnaill (Norse Rognvaldr) | Reginald’s son | KREL-in | Found mainly on Man |
| Cubbon | Surname | Anglo-Norman | Mac Gibbon | Gilbert’s son | KUB-on | Found mainly on Man |
| Curphey | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Murchadha | Murchad’s son (sea warrior) | KUR-fee | Found mainly on Man |
| Faragher | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Fearchair | Fearchair’s son (from ferg, brave or violent) | FAR-a-ger | Found mainly on Man |
| Fayle | Surname | Servant of a saint | Mac Gilla Phail | son of Paul’s servant | FAYL | Also found elsewhere |
| Gawne | Surname | Trade or rank | Mac an Gabhain | the smith’s son | GAWN | Also found elsewhere |
| Joughin | Surname | Trade or rank | Mac Jaghan | the deacon’s son | JOKH-in | Found mainly on Man |
| Karran | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Ciarain | Ciaran’s son | KAR-an | Found mainly on Man |
| Kelly | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Ceallaigh | Ceallach’s son (ceallach, war or strife) | KEL-ee | Also found elsewhere |
| Kennaugh | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Cainnech | Cainnech’s son (devout or chaste) | KEN-akh | Found mainly on Man |
| Kermode | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Diarmid, or Norse Thormod | Diarmaid’s son | KER-mode | Found mainly on Man |
| Kerruish | Surname | Anglo-Norman | Mac Feorais | Pierce’s son | ke-ROOSH | Found mainly on Man |
| Kewin | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Eoin | John’s son | KYOHN | Found mainly on Man |
| Kewish | Surname | Trade or rank | Mac Uais | the noble’s son | KYOOSH | Found mainly on Man |
| Kewley | Surname | Norse | Kewley | uncertain, probably Norse | KYOH-la | Found mainly on Man |
| Killip | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Philip | Philip’s son | KIL-ip | Also found elsewhere |
| Kinred | Surname | Place or nickname | Mac Kinraad | son of the man from Road End | KIN-red | Found mainly on Man |
| Kinvig | Surname | Place or nickname | Mac Kinvig (kione beg) | son of the man from Little Head | kin-VIG | Found mainly on Man |
| Kissack | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Isaac | Isaac’s son | KISS-ak | Found mainly on Man |
| Kneale | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Niall | Niall’s son (champion) | NEEL | Found mainly on Man |
| Kneen | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Cianain, or Mac Nevyn | Cianan’s son, or saint | NEEN | Found mainly on Man |
| Leece | Surname | Norse | Lace, Leece | possibly from leifr, inheritance | LEESS | Also found elsewhere |
| Lewin | Surname | Servant of a saint | Giolla Eoin | John’s servant | LYOHN | Also found elsewhere |
| Looney | Surname | Other Gaelic | O Luinigh | Luinigh’s descendant (armed) | LOO-nee | Also found elsewhere |
| Moore | Surname | Other Gaelic | O Mordha | Mordha’s descendant (mor, great) | MOOR | Also found elsewhere |
| Mylchreest | Surname | Servant of a saint | Mac Gilla Chreest | son of Christ’s servant | mil-KREEST | Found mainly on Man |
| Mylechraine | Surname | Servant of a saint | Mac Gilla Chiarain | son of Ciaran’s servant | mul-KRAYN | Found mainly on Man |
| Mylrea | Surname | Servant of a saint | Mac Gilrea | meaning uncertain | mil-RAY | Found mainly on Man |
| Mylroie | Surname | Servant of a saint | Mac Gilroy | son of the red-haired youth | mil-ROY | Found mainly on Man |
| Mylvorrey | Surname | Servant of a saint | Mac Gilla Vorrey | son of Mary’s servant | mil-VOR-ee | Found mainly on Man |
| Qualtrough | Surname | Anglo-Norman | Mac Walter | Walter’s son | KWOL-tro | Found mainly on Man |
| Quayle | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Phail | Paul’s son | KWAYL | Found mainly on Man |
| Quilliam | Surname | Anglo-Norman | Mac William | William’s son | KWIL-yam | Found mainly on Man |
| Quine | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Cuinn | Conn’s son (conn, counsel) | KWINE | Also found elsewhere |
| Quirk | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Cuirc | Corc’s son | KWURK | Found mainly on Man |
| Shimmin | Surname | Mac to C, K or Q | Mac Simeen | little Simon’s son | SHIM-in | Found mainly on Man |
| Skillicorn | Surname | Norse | Skylycorne | probably from a lost place name with skeilig, rock | SKIL-i-korn | Found mainly on Man |
| Teare | Surname | Trade or rank | Mac y theyir | the carpenter’s son | TEER | Found mainly on Man |
| Watterson | Surname | Translated | Walterson, for Mac Walter | Walter’s son | WOT-er-son | Found mainly on Man |
FAQ about Manx names and surnames
Why do so many Manx surnames start with Q, K or C?
Because they began with Mac, son of. The unstressed Mac lost its vowel, its final c or k sound joined the father’s name, and when Mac dropped away in the 1500s and 1600s that sound stayed on. So Mac Phail became Quayle, Mac Diarmid Kermode and Mac Thorkell Corkill.
What is the most common Manx surname?
Kelly. It was first in the 1881 census with 2,118 people and still first in the 1986 telephone directory. Quayle, Corlett, Moore, Clague, Christian and Cain follow. The most distinctively Manx, meaning names rarely found anywhere else, include Carine, Kewish, Comish, Clague, Costain and Corkill.
What are traditional Manx girls’ names?
Traditional Manx girls’ names include Moirrey and Voirrey (Mary), Breesha or Breeshey (Bridget), Aalish or Ealish (Alice), Joney (Joan) and Fenella (Fionnuala). All of these have come back into use with the Manx language revival, and rarer old names such as Blaanid, Margaid and Avericke are still on record.
What are traditional Manx boys’ names?
Traditional Manx boys’ names include Illiam (William), Juan and Ean (John), Orry (from King Orry), Pherick (Patrick) and Finlo. Older Manx forms include Ollister (Alexander), Peddyr (Peter), Paayl (Paul), Doncan (Duncan), Harral (Harold) and Olave (Olaf), reflecting the island’s Gaelic and Norse past.
Is Manx Gaelic the same as Scottish Gaelic?
No, but they are close relatives. Manx, Scottish Gaelic and Irish are all Goidelic languages, partly understandable to each other’s speakers. Manx looks very different on the page because its spelling was based on English, which is why Mac Phail in Scotland and Quayle on Man are really the same name.
Final thoughts on Manx names
For a first name, Moirrey, Breesha and Illiam are the easy wins: unmistakably Manx, already back in use, and simple to say once you have heard them. For a surname, the first letter is only a clue; the real story is in the old form, and Moore’s list of who was called what, where and when is still the best place to start.
For the wider family of Celtic surnames, with Mac, O’, ap and Cornwall’s Tre, Pol and Pen, see our Celtic last names guide.
Sources
- A. W. Moore, Manx Names; or, The Surnames and Place-Names of the Isle of Man (1903 edition), Internet Archive
- Manx surnames (Mac, Myl-, Ine, alias; 1881 census and 1986 directory tables)
- Manx language (history, orthography, revival, traditional names in use)
- Wiktionary, Manx given names (equivalents, etymologies and pronunciations)
- Isle of Man Today, Most popular baby names in Isle of Man throughout 2025 announced
- Gef, Island’s most popular baby names for 2025 revealed
- Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales: 2025
- US Census Bureau, Frequently Occurring Surnames from the 2010 Census
- Godred Crovan (King Orry)
- Illiam Dhone
- Fionnuala
- Archibald Cregeen
- Philip Moore Callow Kermode
- Mark Kermode
- Ned Maddrell
- Isle of Man
