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

McAllister, 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 McAllister surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAllister in America

McAllister is the 1197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAllister surname appeared 29,544 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname McAllister.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAllister 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 McAllister

The surname McAllister is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic "Mac Alasdair" or "son of Alasdair." Alasdair is the Scottish form of the name Alexander. The name is thought to have originated in the Argyll region of western Scotland during the Middle Ages, where the Clan McAllister held lands.

The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the 13th century, with references to individuals such as Gillecrist MacAleystyr in 1263. The name was often spelled in various ways, including McAlister, McCalyster, and McCallaster, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations.

One notable early bearer of the name was Angus McAllister, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. He was granted lands in Kintyre for his service.

In the 16th century, the McAllisters were involved in conflicts with the Campbells, a powerful neighboring clan. In 1586, a bloody feud erupted between the two clans, leading to the Battle of Glenlussa, where the McAllisters suffered significant losses.

The name McAllister is also found in Irish records, likely due to migration from Scotland to Ulster during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century. Notable Irish McAllisters include John McAllister (1753-1795), an early Presbyterian minister and educator in Pennsylvania.

Other notable individuals with the surname include Archibald McAllister (1824-1896), a Canadian politician and businessman, and Walter Bruce McAllister (1900-1997), an American artist known for his Western landscapes.

Throughout history, variations of the name, such as McAlester, have also been prominent. This includes Miles McAlester (1856-1898), a Confederate soldier and recipient of the Confederate Medal of Honor during the American Civil War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAllister

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

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

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

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