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

McBeth, 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 McBeth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McBeth in America

McBeth is the 10649th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McBeth surname appeared 3,004 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 McBeth.

We can also compare 2010 data for McBeth 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 McBeth

The surname McBeth is of Scottish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Beathán," which means "life" or "vigor." This name likely originated from the northern regions of Scotland, such as the Highlands and the Hebrides Islands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McBeth can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, a historical record of royal finances and accounts, dated around the 14th century. The name appears in various spellings, including "McBeath," "McBeith," and "McBeth," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and orthography common during that era.

The McBeth name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous bearers of this surname is William McBeth (1789-1862), a Scottish poet and writer who gained recognition for his works celebrating the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and its people.

Another prominent individual with the McBeth surname was John McBeth (1825-1901), a Scottish-born American educator and writer. He served as the president of the University of Arkansas and authored several works on education and philosophy.

In the realm of sports, James McBeth (1873-1943) was a Scottish professional golfer who won multiple prestigious tournaments, including the British Open in 1904. His accomplishments contributed to the growing popularity of golf in the early 20th century.

The McBeth name has also been linked to various Scottish place names, such as Bethune, a town in Fife, and Beith, a town in North Ayrshire. These place names likely share a common Gaelic root with the surname, reflecting the geographic origins of the McBeth lineage.

One notable historical reference to the McBeth name comes from the famous play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare. While the play's title character is spelled differently, some scholars suggest that Shakespeare may have drawn inspiration from the Scottish surname McBeth or its variants when crafting the tragic character's name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McBeth

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

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

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

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