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

McCarty, 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 McCarty surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCarty in America

McCarty is the 939th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCarty surname appeared 36,944 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname McCarty.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCarty 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 McCarty

The surname McCarty is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Cairthigh, meaning "son of Cairthigh." The name is thought to have originated in County Westmeath, Ireland, around the 12th century.

The name is believed to have evolved from the ancient Irish personal name Carthach, which means "loving" or "beloved." Some early spellings of the name include MacCarthy, MacCarty, and McCardie.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "MacCarthaigh" in the year 1114. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in England, dated 1194, suggesting that the McCarty family had established itself in England by that time.

In the 14th century, the McCarty clan was among the most powerful families in Munster, Ireland. Cormac MacCarthy, who lived from 1298 to 1338, was a notable member of the clan and served as the King of Desmond, a historic territory in Munster.

Another prominent figure with the McCarty surname was Cormac Óg MacCarthy, who lived from 1459 to 1536. He was a Irish lord and soldier who fought against the English during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.

In the late 16th century, Dermot McCarty, born around 1550, was a notable Irish rebel who fought against English rule in Ireland during the Nine Years' War.

The name also has a connection to the town of Macroon, located in County Cork, Ireland, which was once known as "MacCarthy's Country" due to the prominence of the McCarty clan in the area.

Over time, the McCarty surname spread beyond Ireland to other parts of the world, including England, Scotland, and eventually to the Americas, where it became associated with various place names, such as McCarty's Cove in Newfoundland, Canada, and McCarty's Island in South Carolina, United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCarty

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

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

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

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