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

McAlpine, 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 McAlpine surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAlpine in America

McAlpine is the 8814th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAlpine surname appeared 3,714 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 McAlpine.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAlpine 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 McAlpine

The surname McAlpine is of Scottish origin, originating from the Gaelic "Mac Ailpein" meaning "son of Alpin" or "son of the great warrior". It is believed to have originated in the Kingdom of Dalriada, an ancient region spanning parts of western Scotland and northern Ireland, during the 6th to 9th centuries AD.

The name is thought to be derived from the ancient Scottish king Alpin, who ruled the Kingdom of Dalriada in the 8th century. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed individuals who had sworn allegiance to King Edward I of England.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname McAlpine was Sir John McAlpine, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the early 14th century. Another early figure was Duncan McAlpine, a 15th-century Scottish laird and chieftain of the McAlpine clan.

In the 16th century, the McAlpine family established themselves as notable landowners and prominent figures in the counties of Argyll and Ayr, with their ancestral lands centered around the area of Loch Fyne. A notable figure from this period was Sir John McAlpine of Kenmore, who played a significant role in the Reformation in Scotland.

As the name spread beyond its Scottish origins, it also took on various spellings, such as MacAlpine, McAlpin, and McAlpine. One notable bearer of the name in the 17th century was Sir Robert McAlpine, a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1668 to 1670.

In more recent history, the McAlpine family has produced several notable figures, including Sir Robert McAlpine (1847-1934), the founder of the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons, and his grandson Sir William McAlpine (1936-2018), who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament and was a successful businessman.

Other notable individuals with the surname McAlpine include the Scottish-Canadian author and poet Alistair MacAlpine (1850-1924), the British actor Ian McAlpine (1909-2003), and the Australian cricketer Rodney McAlpine (1960-2001).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAlpine

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

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

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

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