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

McAlpin, 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 McAlpin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAlpin in America

McAlpin is the 10466th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAlpin surname appeared 3,071 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 McAlpin.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAlpin 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 McAlpin

The surname McAlpin originated in Scotland in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words 'mac' meaning 'son of' and 'Alpin', which refers to a personal name. The earliest known bearer of the name was Alpin, the father of Kenneth MacAlpin, who became the first king of the united Scots and Picts in the 9th century.

The McAlpin name is closely associated with the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada, located in what is now Argyll and Bute. This region was once ruled by the Cenél Loairn, a kindred descended from Loarn, the son of Eirc, who was a prominent leader in the 5th century. The McAlpins were part of this kindred and held significant influence in the area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McAlpin name appears in the 13th century Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage papers submitted to King Edward I of England. In this document, several individuals with the name McAlpin are listed as landowners in the Scottish counties of Argyll and Perthshire.

Over the centuries, the McAlpin name has been spelled in various ways, including MacAlpin, McAlpine, and McAlpyn. The name has also been associated with several notable historical figures, such as Somerled of Argyll (c. 1100-1164), a powerful Scottish king and lord who was a descendant of the McAlpin line.

Another prominent McAlpin was Archibald McAlpine (1791-1858), a Scottish civil engineer and contractor who founded the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons. His company was responsible for building many iconic structures, including the Forth Bridge and parts of the London Underground.

Sir Edwin Armine Woodhouse-Radcliffe McAlpine (1856-1944) was a British businessman and Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Dewsbury constituency from 1910 to 1918. He was also the chairman of Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons from 1894 to 1934.

Sir Robert McAlpine (1868-1934) was a Scottish civil engineer and businessman who succeeded his father, Sir Robert McAlpine, as the chairman of Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons. He oversaw the construction of numerous notable projects, including the Tyne Bridge and the Manchester Ship Canal.

Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green (1942-2014), was a British businessman, politician, and life peer. He was a prominent figure in the Conservative Party and served as a party treasurer from 1975 to 1990.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAlpin

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

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

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

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