From Gaelic 'M'Adhaimh, son of Adam. Donald Makkaw paid rent in Drumbuie in 1481 (2 ml N of Kyle of Lochalsh). Pattrick and Isobell McKaw, a married couple in Bute, were accused of witchcraft in 1662. The Bute name of MacCaw had varied to Mackay by the start of the 19th Century.
