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

McAllen, 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 McAllen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAllen in America

McAllen is the 44576th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAllen surname appeared 482 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 McAllen.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAllen 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 McAllen

The surname McAllen is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic Mac Ailein, which means "son of the green warrior". This name can be traced back to the 12th century in the Scottish Highlands.

The earliest recorded instances of the name McAllen can be found in various Scottish clan records and historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable mention is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, which refer to a "Gillandres MacAlen" from Argyll.

In the 16th century, the McAllen family was particularly prominent in the regions of Argyll and Perthshire. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "McAlaine" or "McAllane". One notable figure was John McAllen of Glengarry, who lived in the late 16th century and was a renowned warrior and chieftain.

The 17th century saw the McAllens involved in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, with several members of the clan fighting for the Royalist cause. A notable example is Sir Archibald McAllen, who was knighted by King Charles I in 1642 for his military service.

In the 18th century, the McAllen name spread to other parts of Scotland and beyond. One prominent individual was Robert McAllen (1744-1828), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia, USA, and played a role in the American Revolutionary War.

Other notable figures with the surname McAllen include:

1. Duncan McAllen (1809-1888), a Scottish-born farmer and rancher who settled in Texas and established the city of McAllen, named after him.

2. John McAllen (1822-1898), a Scottish-born businessman and politician who served as a member of the Scottish Parliament in the late 19th century.

3. Margaret McAllen (1877-1956), a Scottish-born educator and women's rights activist who worked in Canada and the United States.

4. Angus McAllen (1892-1968), a Scottish-born soldier who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery.

5. Ian McAllen (1925-2007), a Scottish-born author and journalist who wrote extensively about Scottish history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAllen

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

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

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

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