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

McAbee, 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 McAbee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAbee in America

McAbee is the 8196th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAbee surname appeared 4,049 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McAbee.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAbee 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 McAbee

The surname McAbee originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Ab" or "Abby," which means "dweller at the abbey." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or worked at a monastery or abbey.

McAbee is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surnames McAbbe and McAbie. These names can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Scotland, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Galloway.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McAbee surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls documenting Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The entry "Willelmus le Abbe de Ros" likely refers to a McAbee ancestor.

In the 16th century, the McAbee surname appeared in the Parish Registers of Ayr, Scotland. A notable individual from this time period was John McAbee, who was born in Ayr in 1542 and served as a merchant and town councilor.

During the 17th century, the McAbee name spread to other parts of Scotland, including the counties of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. One prominent McAbee was Robert McAbee, born in Lanarkshire in 1624, who was a respected Presbyterian minister and author.

In the 18th century, the McAbee surname began to appear in Ulster, Northern Ireland, as Scottish settlers migrated to the region. One notable figure from this time was William McAbee, born in County Antrim in 1755, who fought in the American Revolutionary War as a member of the Pennsylvania Militia.

As the McAbee family continued to spread throughout the British Isles and beyond, other notable individuals emerged. For example, John McAbee, born in England in 1810, was a successful merchant and philanthropist who supported various educational and charitable causes.

Another prominent McAbee was James McAbee, born in Scotland in 1845, who emigrated to Canada and became a respected farmer and community leader in the province of Ontario. He was instrumental in establishing several local schools and churches.

Throughout its history, the McAbee surname has maintained its Scottish origins and ties to the monastic and religious communities that likely gave rise to its earliest bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAbee

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

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

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

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