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This surname is of Irish origin, and is an Anglicized form of the name "MacCearbhaill". The prefix "mac"meaning "son of " plus the Gaelic personal name "Cearbhall", which was possibly a byname for a butcher or a fierce warrior, deriving from "cearbh", hacking. There were two distinct septs, one in Leinster and the other in Ulster, where the name is often Anglicized as MacCarvill.