Mac

[Lynnie]

Originally Posted by Another Castle

Also, I was just browsing these pages when somebody suggested that the name "Mac" can be short for "William". Really? I've never heard that before!

Yeah, it goes back to Victorian times I believe, or maybe before that. I don't remember the story, but I'm thinking there was a royal who's name was William and someone in his family/court called him "Mac" for some reason, the likes of which I can't remember. So "Mac" became a popular nick name for "William" after that. I'm trying to find proof of it online, but not having much luck. I do remember however being reminded of it at hearing Sheryl Crow's song "All I wanna do is have some fun!". There's a line where she's talking about a guy in a bar who "says his name is William". But she's sure it's actually "Bill, Billy, Mac, or Buddy." "Bill", "Billy", and "Buddy" are more common nicknames for "William", and she has "Mac" in there too, so I know I'm not the only one who's heard of that.

Edit: Ok, I think I may have found at least part of the story. Both "Mac" and "Buddy" are names guys would call other guys when they don't know they're names, especially 100+ years ago. They were also both used for young boys, because they meant "boy". They were interchangeable. "Buddy" is also a nickname for "William", so "Mac" may have been mistaken to be a part of that family as well.