Cash (surname)

Cash
LanguageEnglish, Scottish Gaelic
Origin
LanguagesEnglish, Scottish Gaelic
MeaningVarious; in Highland Gaelic contexts, a phonetic contraction of Mac Tamhais (Son of Thomas), the Gaelic root of MacTavish[1]
Other names
Variant formsMacCosh, MacCash, MacCaus, MacCavish
AnglicisationsScottish Gaelic Mac Tamhais, MacCash, MacCosh[2]

Cash is an Anglo-Scottish surname with several distinct origins.

In its most common usage, Cash is an English occupational or descriptive surname. However, in the western Highlands of Scotland, particularly in Argyll and Knapdale, Cash derives from a phonetic contraction of the Scottish Gaelic Mac Tamhais — the Gaelic root of MacTavish — meaning Son of Thomas. The contraction follows the same linguistic transition as other MacTavish variant forms including MacCosh, MacCaus, and MacCavish, all of which share the same Gaelic origin. In this Highland context Cash is an associated family name of Clan MacTavish, and is genealogically distinct from unrelated Lowland or English families of the same surname.[3][4]

Notable people with the surname

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Patrick L. (2015). "The Transition of the MacGilletSamhais, MacStibhan, and Tahd Surnames" (PDF). Clan MacTavish. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
  2. ↑ "Family Names and Septs of Clan MacTavish". Clan MacTavish. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Patrick L. (2015). "The Transition of the MacGilletSamhais, MacStibhan, and Tahd Surnames" (PDF). Clan MacTavish. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
  4. ↑ "Family Names and Septs of Clan MacTavish". Clan MacTavish. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
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