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

McAteer, 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 McAteer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McAteer in America

McAteer is the 14148th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McAteer surname appeared 2,124 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 McAteer.

We can also compare 2010 data for McAteer 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 McAteer

The surname McAteer is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Mac an t-Saoir," which means "son of the carpenter" or "son of the skilled worker." The name is believed to have originated in the areas around Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, where it was common for families to adopt occupational surnames.

In historical records, the name appears with various spellings, including McAtyre, McAttor, and McAter. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists a "Johannes McAtoure" from Roxburghshire. This document contains the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

The McAteer name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Patrick McAteer (c. 1520-1592), a Scottish Catholic priest who was a prominent figure during the Scottish Reformation. He served as the vicar of Dreghorn and was known for his opposition to the Protestant reforms of John Knox.

Another significant figure was Sir William McAteer (1749-1813), a Scottish merchant and landowner from Ayrshire. He played an active role in the Scottish Enlightenment and was a member of the Literary Society of Glasgow, where he rubbed shoulders with luminaries such as Adam Smith and James Watt.

In the 19th century, John McAteer (1815-1891) was a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor. He is best known for his role in the exploration of the Gippsland region of Victoria, where he helped establish several towns and settlements.

James McAteer (1838-1912) was a prominent Irish-American politician and lawyer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate and was a prominent figure in the Democratic Party.

More recently, Michael McAteer (1932-2008) was a Scottish actor and writer best known for his roles in television shows like "Taggart" and "Tutti Frutti." He was also a prolific writer of plays and screenplays, many of which explored his working-class roots in Glasgow.

The McAteer name has been associated with various place names in Scotland, including McAteer's Flow, a wetland area in Ayrshire, and McAteer's Farm, a historical site in Dumfries and Galloway. These place names reflect the long-standing presence of the McAteer family in these regions and their contributions to the local communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McAteer

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

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

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

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