[1] Another view is that the anglicised surname is derived from the Gaelic MacCuinn, meaning 'son of Conn'.
[2] The Gaelic personal name Conn is derived from an Old Irish word meaning 'chief, head'.
[citation needed] A similarly spelt surname, Macquien, is considered to be often confused with, and wrongly represented by, Macqueen.
[4] Macquien can be presented in Scottish Gaelic as MacAoidhein; and in the north of Scotland as MacCuithein.
Similar surnames are McKeen (from Ian); McQuinn (from Conn); McSwain, McSween (from Suibhne, or possibly Sveinn); McSweeney, McQueeney (from Suibhne);[1] Macquien (from Aoidhean);[2][3] Queen (a reduced form of the surname McQueen, also from Quena).
[8] This census shows that the county where the surname occurred the most was Lancashire (in England); with 22 of the name recorded, equalling 0.0006% of the population there.
The town where the surname occurred the most, and was most frequent, was Newcastle upon Tyne All Sts (in Northumberland, England); with 11 of the name recorded, equalling 0.0424% of the population there.
[12] This census shows that the county where the surname occurred the most, and was most frequent, was Inverness-shire (in Scotland); with 86 of the name recorded, equalling 0.0986% of the population there.
The town where the surname occurred the most, and was most frequent, was Kilmuir (in Inverness-shire, Scotland); with 26 of the name recorded, equalling 1.0136% of the population there.