Why are figure that begin with “ Mc ” first in fiat over names that begin with “ Ma ” ?

Why cost it that in list of mass ’ sec figure , surnames commence withMcare list before surnames beginning withMa?

For example , if a script had a bibliography listing its references , we would meet thatMcGann , Anthonylist first andMaddox , Grahamsecond , like this :

Reference

1. McGann , Anthony …
2. Maddox , Graham …

Reference

1. McGann , Anthony …
2. Maddox , Graham …

Why doesn ’ t the ‹a› inMcGanntotal before the ‹d› inMaddoxhere ? Does capitalization subject ?

Yet when you search Wikipedia , their pop-up cost ordered strangely when you commence typing in the search box and get as far as “ ian mac ” :

That order be not what I would expect . Why do they act that ? Also , how come they prove meIan McKellanandIan McShaneand such when those don ’ t outset with the same letter as those I explore for when I typed “ ian mac ” ?

Cause this find with other epithet more or less same those as well , make names like these seem in a surprising club as well ?

3. May , Julian
4. Mbombela , Frederica
5. McBride , Martina
6. Mabrey , Sunny
7. Macaluso , Luigi
8. Magellan , Ferdinand
9. MacGill , James
10. Mack , Sennett
11. McGill , Jason
12. McKinley , William
13. Mackerel , Jack
14. Machado , Antonio
15. Machiavelli , Niccolò
16. Ma , Yo-Yo

3. May , Julian
4. Mbombela , Frederica
5. McBride , Martina
6. Mabrey , Sunny
7. Macaluso , Luigi
8. Magellan , Ferdinand
9. MacGill , James
10. Mack , Sennett
11. McGill , Jason
12. McKinley , William
13. Mackerel , Jack
14. Machado , Antonio
15. Machiavelli , Niccolò
16. Ma , Yo-Yo

• orthography
• personal-names
• surnames
• non-standard
• sort-ordering

3 Answers3

The usual pattern in the UK , in telephone directories etc is that Scottish surnames starting Mc are , for alphabetical purpose , treat as though there exist an invisible a , between the M and the c. Thus our own telephone directory proceeds as McDonald , J.A. , MacDonald J.C. , McDonald J.M. , MacDonald K. etc .

Most probable , it equal because of treatMcandMacas identical .

It ‘s as such not a sorting issue but a lexical one .

Practise varies between cultures , and between establishment within those cultures .

Some take surnames purely alphabetically , so Makespeare would come before Mcdonald .

Others ( as in your example ) treat Mc as an abbreviation of Mac , thus putting Mcdonald before Maddox .

You must to answer this question .

• orthography
• personal-names
• surnames
• non-standard
• sort-ordering

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