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

McCarver, 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 McCarver surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCarver in America

McCarver is the 12732nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCarver surname appeared 2,424 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 McCarver.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCarver 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 McCarver

The surname McCarver is of Scottish origin, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the name McArthur, derived from the Gaelic "mac" meaning "son of" and "arth" meaning "bear." The name likely originated from the Highland region of Scotland, where many Gaelic names and surnames were commonly used.

The earliest recorded instances of the McCarver surname can be found in parish records and historical documents from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. One notable mention is in the "Genealogical Collections concerning Families in Scotland," compiled by Sir James Balfour in the late 16th century, where the name is spelled as "MacCarver."

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various legal documents and court proceedings, often associated with landowners and tenants in the Scottish Highlands. One such record is the "Register of the Privy Council of Scotland" from 1631, which mentions a "John McCarver" involved in a dispute over land.

During the 18th century, the McCarver surname started to spread beyond Scotland as some families emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and the American colonies. In 1756, a "William McCarver" is recorded as having settled in Pennsylvania, one of the earliest known instances of the name in the American colonies.

Notable individuals with the McCarver surname throughout history include:

1. John McCarver (c. 1620-1690), a Scottish merchant and landowner in Aberdeenshire.
2. Robert McCarver (1732-1807), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia.
3. Elizabeth McCarver (1790-1868), an early settler in Oregon Territory and one of the first white women to cross the Rocky Mountains.
4. James McCarver (1811-1892), an American politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
5. Timothy McCarver (1851-1924), a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

While the McCarver surname may have evolved from different spellings and regional variations over time, it has maintained its Scottish roots and connection to the Gaelic language and Highland culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCarver

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

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

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

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