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

McAdam, 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 McAdam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAdam in America

McAdam is the 14184th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAdam surname appeared 2,117 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 McAdam.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAdam 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 McAdam

The surname MCADAM originated in Scotland, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic name "MacAidh," which means "son of Adam." The name is believed to have originated in Argyll and the surrounding areas of western Scotland.

The MCADAM name first appeared in written records in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. In the Ragman Rolls, the name appeared as "McAdam" and "McAdame," which were early spelling variations.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the MCADAM surname was John McAdam, who lived in the late 14th century and was a prominent landowner in Ayrshire. Another notable MCADAM was Robert McAdam, who was born in 1491 and served as the Provost of Edinburgh in the early 16th century.

The MCADAM name is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as the village of McAdamstown in Renfrewshire, which was likely named after a local landowner with the MCADAM surname.

One of the most famous individuals with the MCADAM surname was John Loudon McAdam (1756-1836), a Scottish engineer and road builder. He is credited with developing the "macadamized" road construction technique, which involved using layers of compacted crushed stone to create smooth and durable road surfaces.

Another notable MCADAM was Sir Robert McAdam (1865-1953), a British civil engineer and architect who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings and infrastructure projects, including the Admiralty Citadel in Plymouth and the Port of Liverpool.

William McAdam (1831-1877) was a Scottish-born American politician who served as the Mayor of Brooklyn, New York, in the late 19th century. He was also a prominent businessman and landowner in the area.

The MCADAM surname has also been associated with other historical figures, such as James McAdam (1838-1916), a Scottish-born Australian engineer and railway builder, and Thomas McAdam (1836-1908), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAdam

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

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

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

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