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

McCarthy, 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 McCarthy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCarthy in America

McCarthy is the 384th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCarthy surname appeared 82,950 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname McCarthy.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCarthy 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 McCarthy

The surname McCarthy has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 11th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Carthaidh," meaning "son of Carthach." Carthach was a personal name derived from the Old Irish words "cart" meaning "loving" and "ach" meaning "having the quality of."

The McCarthy family was one of the most prominent ruling clans in the medieval Irish Kingdom of Desmond, which encompassed parts of what is now County Cork and County Kerry. They were descendants of the Eóganacht Chaisil dynasty, which ruled the region from the 5th century until the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McCarthy appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle dating back to the 11th century. The annals mention a chieftain named "Carthach, son of Saerbhreathach" who lived in the 10th century and was a member of the Eóganacht Chaisil dynasty.

During the Norman invasion of Ireland, the McCarthys initially resisted the invaders but eventually submitted to King Henry II of England. In return, they were granted lands and recognized as the rulers of Desmond. The most notable member of the McCarthy clan during this period was Donal Gott McCarthy, who lived from 1238 to 1305 and was the King of Desmond.

In the 16th century, the McCarthy clan played a significant role in the Desmond Rebellions against English rule in Ireland. One of the leaders of the rebellion was Donal McCarthy Mor, who lived from 1594 to 1640 and was known for his fierce resistance against the English forces.

Other notable individuals with the surname McCarthy throughout history include:

1. Justin McCarthy (1830-1912), an Irish novelist, historian, and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies.
2. Mary McCarthy (1912-1989), an American novelist, critic, and political activist known for her satirical and polemical works.
3. Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957), the controversial American politician who led the anti-communist campaign known as the "Red Scare" in the 1950s.
4. Cormac McCarthy (born 1933), an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter known for his works such as "Blood Meridian" and "The Road."
5. Melissa McCarthy (born 1970), an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer, known for her roles in films like "Bridesmaids" and "Spy."

The surname McCarthy has evolved over the centuries, with various spellings such as MacCarthy, MacCarty, and Carty being used in different regions and historical periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCarthy

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McCarthy, 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!