Type Surname (from location)
Usage Scottish
Pronounced Pron. MAKS-wehl  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From a place name meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.

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Entry updated January 21, 2022