Some Old World Albannach Beall and New World North American Beall and Bell descendants and
relations of Robert the Bruce, King Robert I.
About Bell, Beall, M'Millan
The Scottish Bell and Beall family names originate with the gaidhlig word Mhaol, which means bald
or tonsured, from Gille Mhaol, legendary ancestor of Bell, Beall and M'Millan. The tonsure
referred to is that of the ancient Celtic Church found on the isle of Iona which preceeded
(by about three centuries) and was supplanted forcibly by the Roman Catholic Church.
The Celtic Church allowed clergy to marry, which is why there are descendants today. Early
members of this family were often associated with a church or had an ecclesiastical calling.
Bell and the variant spelling Beall are english forms of the name. The variants came about
before surname spellings were fixed so the same individual may have his or her name spelled
either way in early records. The gaidhlig form of the name is clann mac / nic mhaolain:
clann = children; mac = son, nic = daughter, mhaolain = the bald or tonsured one.
Over time the nic was dropped, and this name was also anglicised over the centuries as
M'Millan and variants. The plant badge is Holly, sacred to the ancient Celtic peoples.
The totem animal is a "black lion" which is the near legendary Kellas
cat, a black variety of the native Scottish wildcat.
29 Aug 2013, L. A. Childress