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

McArdle, 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 McArdle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McArdle in America

McArdle is the 6299th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McArdle surname appeared 5,424 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McArdle.

We can also compare 2010 data for McArdle 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 McArdle

The surname McArdle originated in Ireland, with the earliest recorded examples appearing in the late 16th century. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic surname Mac Ardghail, which means "son of Ardghal." Ardghal is an old Irish personal name derived from the elements "ard" meaning "high" and "ghal" meaning "valor" or "bravery."

The McArdle name was most prevalent in County Tyrone, particularly in the baronies of Omagh and Clogher. It is believed that the family descended from the ancient Irish clan of Cenél nEógain, which ruled much of Ulster and parts of Connacht during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, which were administrative records kept by the English government in Ireland. In 1586, a John McArdell is mentioned as receiving a pardon from the Crown.

The McArdle name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a notable McArdle family member, Fearghal Mac Ardghail, who was described as a learned historian and poet in the late 16th century.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century, many McArdle families were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate to other parts of Ireland or seek opportunities overseas. This led to the spread of the name beyond its traditional stronghold in Tyrone.

Notable individuals with the surname McArdle include:

1. John McArdle (1836-1918), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McArdle Cement Company in Chicago.

2. Sir John McArdle (1889-1974), a British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Justice of Appeal and was knighted in 1952.

3. Patrick McArdle (1952-2018), an Irish actor best known for his roles in films such as "The Boxer" and "In Bruges."

4. Richard McArdle (1907-1975), an American journalist and author who wrote extensively about organized crime and the Mafia.

5. Thomas McArdle (1835-1908), an Irish-American Civil War veteran and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

The McArdle surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including McArdell, McArdill, McArdel, and McArdill. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or regional pronunciations of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McArdle

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!