Mac is a Gaelic surname prefix that means "son" in Scotland and Ireland. It is comparable to the Anglo-Norman Fitz and the Hiberno-Norman Fitz, as well as the Welsh Ap (formerly Map). In the same way that the latter has become initial P, as in the contemporary names Price or Pritchard, Mac has become initial C or even K in some cases, as in Cody, Costigan, and Keegan. The Mac spelling of the name was originally intended as a representation of the Gaelic pronunciation of the name; however, it now serves exclusively as a writing instrument capitalization mark.