The origins of the names McKee, Wilson, Jones, and Smith?

Question:

The origins of the names McKee, Wilson, Jones, and Smith?

McKee is said to be Scottish, Wilson is said to be Scottish/English, Jones is said to be Welsh/English, and Smith is from all over but this spelling is anglicized.

How much confidence do you put in popular notions about where names came from...I mean I'm sure somewhere along the way there were family members who jumped outside tradition and changed names, there were obviously intermarriages between different groups, etcetera. How much confidence can you attach to what you think you now about your family heritage when you don't have family trees that go back before the nineteenth century and all you've got is surnames?

Has anyone ever heard of the McAodh Clan?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Many names OFTEN have an accepted place of origin. I don't judge those whose focus is finding a meaning or origin of a name.. but I do try to explain that it may or MAY NOT have anything to do with their personal heritage. One example I often use is the possibility that someone along the line is adopted, thus the name is meaningless, in terms of heritage. And (as you mention), a LARGE number of names are variations of something else. It isn't always the family members who knowingly or willfully changed them.
Your comment about not having a tree before the nineteenth century intrigues me. It suggests that you have perhaps hit some brick walls, and hope to link one person to an already established "tree"?? It may be that you might benefit from adjusting thoughts from the "Wilson" tree to finding exact details regarding John Wilson, your ancestor, and his history/parents.
A surname, to me, is simply one label or parameter that is used to locate information concerning a PERSON. That does not mean that there are not persons who take one name, and collect all available records (I have done it for one family/name). The irony is that even that name, and all who have it, come from an entirely different original name.
NOT to sound bragging... I started research before the internet was commonly used. It is a great resource.. but people tend to overlook that the same records you find here, existed before computers. Sadly, many fall into the trap of thinking "if I can't find it online (or someone else hasn't found it), then it does not exist".
"My name comes from" is NOT the same as "I come from" or "my ancestor" comes from. It is a fine line, but very important to success or brick walls, in terms of researching your lineage.