McCandlish (, is Scottish surname (and rarely also a given name), derived from Scottish Gaelic and Middle Irish (among other spellings), meaning 'son of Cuindleas', an Old Irish given name of uncertain meaning.
Some variants include McAndlish, McCanalish, McCandelich, McCandelish, McCandish, McCandlash, and McCandleis, among others. Spellings with Mac were believed to be extinct by the first half of the 20th century, but still survive among a few families, primarily in the United States and Canada. As with other names of this sort, versions with M'<nowiki /> were also attested until the early 20th century.
The name is closely related to McCandless (from the same derivation), found in Scotland and especially the north of Ireland (Ulster). Some recorded north Irish variants are more similar to McCandlish, e.g. McCandleish, while some Scottish variants are closer to McCandless, e.g. McCanleis and McCaunles. McCandlish itself has also sometimes historically been attested in Northern Ireland.
It is etymologically but probably not familially related to , 'descendant of Cuindlis', a literary family of UàMháine in west-central Ireland. The earliest form of the given name can be traced back to an abbot from the 8th century called Cuindles.