McLeo or MacLeod is a Scottish surname, derived from Clan MacLeod. The Gaelic form is Clann Mhic Leòid. Clann means children, while mhic is the genitive of mac, the Gaelic for son, and Leòid is the genitive of Leòd. The whole phrase therefore means The children of the son of Leod. The later form "McCloud" creates a connection to the English word "cloud" which did not originally exist.[clarify]