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

McClary, 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 McClary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McClary in America

McClary is the 5713th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McClary surname appeared 6,070 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McClary.

We can also compare 2010 data for McClary 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 McClary

The surname McClary is believed to have originated in Scotland, specifically in the Scottish Highlands. It is derived from the Gaelic mac Labhruinn, meaning "son of the talkative one" or "son of the babbler." The name's earliest recorded spelling dates back to the late 12th century.

In the early 13th century, a charter from the reign of King Alexander II of Scotland (1198-1249) mentions a "Malcolm M'Clarene." This is thought to be one of the earliest written references to the McClary name.

The McClary name has also been found in various ancient Scottish records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. These rolls document tax payments made by individuals with the surname, indicating their presence in different regions of Scotland during that time.

One notable individual with the McClary surname was Sir Robert McClary, who lived in the 15th century. He was a Scottish knight and landowner, and his name appears in several charters and legal documents from that period.

In the 16th century, a John McClary (born around 1530) was a prominent merchant and burgess (a citizen of a burgh or town) in Aberdeen, Scotland. He is mentioned in various town records and is believed to have been a successful and influential figure in the local community.

Another noteworthy McClary was William McClary (1734-1801), a Scottish-born American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill.

In the 19th century, Sir Thomas McClary (1817-1892) was a Scottish businessman and politician who served as Lord Provost (mayor) of Edinburgh from 1874 to 1877. He was also involved in various charitable organizations and was knighted for his services to the city.

The McClary surname has also been found in various place names throughout Scotland, such as McClary's Burn (a small stream) in Ayrshire and McClary's Hill in Aberdeenshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the McClary surname who lived or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McClary

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

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

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

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