Magarity last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Magarity

An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Máigéidigh, a patronymic meaning "descendant of Máigéidigh".

Magarity, 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 Magarity surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Magarity in America

Magarity is the 128249th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Magarity surname appeared 133 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Magarity.

We can also compare 2010 data for Magarity 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank128249131366-2.40%
Count13311911.11%
Proportion per 100k0.050.0422.22%

The history of the last name Magarity

The surname Magarity has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Mag Oireachtaigh," meaning "son of Oireachtach." Oireachtach is an old Irish personal name derived from the word "oireacht," meaning "assembly" or "gathering."

The name Magarity was most commonly found in the counties of Monaghan and Cavan in the northern part of Ireland. It is thought to have originated in the Monaghan area, where the family held lands and were considered a prominent clan. Some early variations of the spelling include Magrath, Magreaghty, and Magrathy.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Magarity can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a collection of official documents from the 16th century. The Fiants include references to individuals with the surname Magarity holding land grants and other official positions in Ireland during that time period.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the Petty Census of Ireland, which was conducted by Sir William Petty in 1659. This census recorded individuals with the surname Magarity residing in various parts of Ireland, particularly in the counties of Monaghan and Cavan.

Notable individuals with the surname Magarity throughout history include:

  1. Edmond Magarity (c. 1580 - c. 1640), a landowner and prominent figure in County Monaghan during the early 17th century.
  2. Patrick Magarity (c. 1650 - c. 1720), a Catholic priest and scholar who was known for his work in preserving Irish language and culture.
  3. Bridget Magarity (c. 1700 - c. 1780), a landowner and philanthropist from County Cavan who was known for her charitable contributions to local communities.
  4. James Magarity (c. 1750 - c. 1820), a soldier who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Canada.
  5. Michael Magarity (1820 - 1892), an Irish immigrant to the United States who became a successful businessman and philanthropist in New York City.

Throughout the centuries, the Magarity name has maintained a strong connection to its Irish roots, with many descendants still residing in Ireland as well as in communities with significant Irish diaspora populations around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Magarity

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

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 Magarity was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only94.74%126
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Magarity has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White94.74%98.32%-3.71%
Black(S)%0.00%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races(S)%0.00%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

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 Magarity was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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