Mcelroy
From an unknown source, meaning "son of the shining one".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Mcelroy. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mcelroy today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mcelroy births was 1941 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mcelroy. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Mcelroy is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mcelroys were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mcelroy. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1941
7 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1941 SSA rank
#3,042
Tracked since 1941
Popularity
Mcelroy: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mcelroy by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mcelroy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mcelroy
The name Mcelroy is believed to have originated from the Scottish Gaelic language. It is likely derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "gillroy" which translates to "the red-haired lad" or "the ruddy youth". This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname or patronymic name referring to a young man with reddish hair.
The name is thought to have first appeared in Scotland sometime during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 12th or 13th century. It was likely used by Scottish clans and families, particularly those residing in the Highlands and Isles regions of the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mcelroy can be found in the "Black Book of Taymouth", a 16th-century manuscript that documents the history of the Clan Campbell in Argyllshire, Scotland. This suggests that the name may have been used by members or associates of this prominent Scottish clan.
In terms of notable historical figures, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Mcelroy was Sir John Mcelroy, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another notable bearer of the name was James Mcelroy, a 17th-century Scottish poet and author who wrote several works in both Scots and English.
Moving into the 18th century, Archibald Mcelroy was a Scottish-born merchant and plantation owner who settled in the British colony of Virginia in the 1720s. He played a significant role in the early development of the tobacco trade in the American colonies.
In the 19th century, William Mcelroy was a Scottish-American engineer and inventor who made important contributions to the development of the telegraph and other early electrical communication systems. He was born in 1818 and lived until 1885.
Another notable figure with the name Mcelroy was John Mcelroy, an Irish-American journalist and author who lived from 1846 to 1929. He was known for his work as a war correspondent during the American Civil War and later served as the editor of several prominent newspapers.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the first name Mcelroy, reflecting its Scottish and Gaelic origins as well as its presence in various fields and contexts over the centuries.
People
Mcelroy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mcelroy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mcelroy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mcelroy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mcelroy going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Mcelroy a common name?
We classify Mcelroy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mcelroy most popular?
The single biggest year for Mcelroy was 1941, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mcelroy is about 85 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mcelroy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mcelroy a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mcelroy in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mcelroy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mcelroy in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mcelroy can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Mcelroy?
You can see how many people have the name Mcelroy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.