McCandless (surname)

McCandless is an Ulster Scots (Scots–Irish) surname of Northern Ireland, derived from Scottish Gaelic mac Cuindlaes (among other spellings, including mac Cuindlis and mac Cuindilis). Notable people with the surname include:

• Al McCandless (1927–2017), U.S. Congressman.
• Billy McCandless (1894–1955), former Northern Irish professional footballer.
• Bruce McCandless (1911–1968), rear admiral in the U.S. Navy and Medal of Honor recipient.
• Bruce McCandless II (1937–2017), astronaut who made the first untethered spacewalk.
• Byron McCandless (1881–1967), vexillologist and commodore in the U.S. Navy.
• Christopher McCandless (1968–1992), American hiker and itinerant traveler who starved to death in Alaska, and the subject of the multiple non-fiction books and documentaries, beginning with Into the Wild (1996).
• Cromie McCandless (1921–1992), motorcycle road racer and brother of Rex McCandless.
• Lincoln Loy McCandless (1859–1940), American cattle rancher, industrialist and politician from Hawaii.
• Paul McCandless (born 1947), American jazz woodwind player and composer.
• Ray B. McCandless (1889–1931), American college sports coach.
• Rex McCandless (1915–1992), motorcycle road racer, designer of the Norton Featherbed frame and brother of Cromie McCandless
• Stanley McCandless (1897–1967), widely considered to be the first theatrical lighting educator.
• William McCandless (1834–1884), Union Army officer in the American Civil War and later member of the Pennsylvania State Senate.
• Wilson McCandless (1810–1882), United States federal judge from Pittsburgh, Penn.

See also

• McCandless (disambiguation) – including place names, vessels, fictional characters, etc.
• McCandlish, earlier though now less common Scottish form of the name