McCandless (surname)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

McCandless is a surname of Irish and Scottish origin, attested especially in Northern Ireland, but also in Scotland, and (rarely) the Republic of Ireland. It is derived from Irish and Scottish Gaelic[1] mac Cuindlaes (among other spellings, including mac Cuindlis and mac Cuindilis), 'son of Cuindlaes', an Old Irish personal name. There are many anglicised variations, including McCandlis, McCanless, McCanlis, and McAndless. It is closely related to McCandlish, primarily found in Scotland. The name is etymologically but probably not familially related to the Irish Ó Cuindlis which means 'descendant of Cuindleas'.[2][3] The earliest form of the given name can be traced back to an abbot from the 8th century called Cuindles.

Notable individuals[]

  • Al McCandless (1927–2017), US Congressman
  • Billy McCandless (1894–1955), Northern Irish footballer
  • Bruce McCandless (1911–1968), US Navy rear admiral, and Medal of Honor recipient
  • Bruce McCandless II (1937–2017), astronaut who made the first untethered spacewalk
  • Byron McCandless (1881–1967), vexillologist and commodore in the US Navy
  • Christopher McCandless (1968–1992), American hiker and itinerant traveler who starved to death in Alaska, and the subject of the multiple non-fiction books and documentaries, beginning with Into the Wild (1996)
  • Cromie McCandless (1921–1992), motorcycle road racer and brother of Rex
  • Ezra McCandless (1998), an American murderer who was convicted of the murder of Alex Woodworth
  • John (Jack) McCandless (1892–1940), Irish football player and manager.
  • Lincoln Loy McCandless (1859–1940), American cattle rancher, industrialist and politician from Hawaii
  • Paul McCandless (born 1947), American jazz woodwind player and composer
  • Ray B. McCandless (1889–1931), American college sports coach
  • Rex McCandless (1915–1992), motorcycle road racer, designer of the Norton Featherbed frame, brother of Cromie
  • Stanley McCandless (1897–1967), considered to be the first theatrical lighting educator
  • William McCandless (1834–1884), Union Army officer in the American Civil War, and later member of the Pennsylvania State Senate
  • Wilson McCandless (1810–1882), US federal judge from Pennsylvania

See also[]

  • McCandless (disambiguation) – including place names, vessels, fictional characters, etc.
  • McCandlish, a less common form of the name, principally Scottish
  • McCanles Gang (sometimes also rendered McCandless), an alleged outlaw gang in the American West of the early 1860s
  • Ó Cuindlis, a related west Irish surname dating to the 14th century; anglicized as Conlisk, Cundlish, Quinlist, and several other variants

References[]

  1. ^ "Surname Database: McCandless Last Name Origin".
  2. ^ "Irish names and surnames: Mac Cuindilis".
  3. ^ "Irish names and surnames: Ó Cuindlis".
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