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Re: Meaning of McGlasson
McGlasson / McGleeson may be Scottish forms of an Irish name. The Irish equivalent of Gleeson is O'Glaisin. The word Glaisin is considered the origin of the toponym Glasheen, where it means 'little stream'. It is tempting to conclude that the surname derives from the toponym.
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The root of McGlasson, McGlashan, O'Gleeson and O'Glasheen and related variants is believed to be "glas", neaning, green, blue-green, grey and sometimes expanded to mean a stream.The surnames were originally distinct and unrelated, though, over time, some have been modified and confused.
McGlasson is MacGlassain (with a fada over the second "a").
MacGlashan is MacGlaisin (with a fada over the second "i").
O'Gleeson and its numerous anglicised variants is O'Glesain, originally O'Glasain, (with a fada over the final "i").
O'Glasheen is O'Glaisin (with a fada over the final "i").Since the 16th century, anglicization has resulted some confusion between McGlassan and McGlashan and between O'Gleeson and O'Glasheen, in the case of the latter, leading many to conclude that the O'Gleesons originated in Imokelly, Cork, ancestral home of the O'Glasheens, despite the fact that pedigrees exist which point to a North Tipperary (and perhaps even a Leinster) origin for the O'Gleesons.
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