Find out how popular the last name Cargill is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cargill.

Cargill, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cargill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cargill in America

Cargill is the 7363rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cargill surname appeared 4,524 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cargill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cargill to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cargill

The surname Cargill has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "carr" meaning "marsh" or "fen," and "gil" meaning "a narrow glen or ravine." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a marshy ravine or stream.

The earliest recorded mention of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Scottish Wars of Independence. One such person listed was Thomas de Cargyll from Perthshire.

By the 15th century, the name had evolved into various spellings like Cargill, Cargyll, Cargyle, and Cargile. These variations appeared in different records, such as the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland and the Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland.

One notable bearer of the name was Donald Cargill (1619-1681), a Scottish Covenanter minister and activist who was executed for his role in the Bothwell Bridge Rebellion against King Charles II. His defiant last words, "The Lord God Omnipotent reign," became a rallying cry for the Covenanters.

Another prominent figure was Ralph Cargill (1693-1778), a British merchant and politician who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 1766 to 1768. He was also a Member of Parliament for Queensborough and Beverley.

In the 19th century, William Cargill (1784-1860) was a successful Scottish merchant and shipowner based in Greenock. He founded the firm of William Cargill & Co., which later became part of the Cargill Corporation, one of the largest private companies in the world.

The name Cargill has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Cargill in Perthshire, Cargill in Fife, and the village of Cargill near Arbroath. These locations likely derive their names from the surname or vice versa, further reinforcing the name's Scottish heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cargill

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cargill.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cargill was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cargill has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cargill was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cargill, please contact us.

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