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

McAleer, 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 McAleer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAleer in America

McAleer is the 13096th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAleer surname appeared 2,342 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 McAleer.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAleer 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 McAleer

The surname McAleer has its origins in Ireland, specifically in the northern counties of Ulster. It is a variant of the Gaelic name Mac Giolla Adhair, which means "son of the servant of the Air/Atmosphere." The name likely dates back to the 13th or 14th century and is associated with the ancient Irish clan of the same name.

The earliest recorded mention of the McAleer surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this document, the name appears as "Mac Giolla Adhair" in an entry from the year 1337, referring to a member of the clan.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Domnall Mac Giolla Adhair, who lived in the late 14th century and was a prominent member of the clan in County Tyrone. Another notable figure was Brian McAleer, who was born around 1550 in County Derry and was a renowned poet and scholar of the Irish language.

In the 17th century, the McAleer surname is found in various records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Conquest and the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663. These records show the presence of McAleer families in counties such as Tyrone, Derry, and Antrim.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McAleer families were displaced from their ancestral lands. Some relocated to other parts of Ireland, while others emigrated to countries like Scotland and England.

One notable individual from this period was Patrick McAleer, who was born in County Tyrone in 1620. He was a soldier in the Irish Confederate Wars and later settled in County Monaghan after the war.

In the 18th century, the McAleer surname continued to be prominent in Ulster, with records showing families living in counties such as Armagh, Down, and Fermanagh. One individual of note was John McAleer, who was born in County Tyrone in 1725 and served as a captain in the Irish Volunteers during the American Revolutionary War.

As Irish immigration to the Americas increased in the 19th century, many McAleers left Ireland for new opportunities. One such individual was Michael McAleer, who was born in County Tyrone in 1820 and later emigrated to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania.

Throughout history, the McAleer surname has been associated with various occupations, including agriculture, military service, and the arts. The name has also been subject to various spelling variations, such as McAlear, McAler, and McAlair, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and transcription.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAleer

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

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

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

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