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

McCleary, 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 McCleary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCleary in America

McCleary is the 5317th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCleary surname appeared 6,554 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 McCleary.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCleary 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 McCleary

The surname McCleary has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "lèirich" meaning "clerk" or "secretary". This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify the son of a cleric or scribe.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Among those listed is "John McClerich", believed to be an early spelling variation of McCleary.

In the 16th century, the McCleary family held lands in the county of Wigtown, located in the southwestern region of Scotland. Records from this time show various spellings such as "McClerich", "McClerrie", and "McClery".

One notable figure bearing the McCleary name was Sir Samuel McCleary (1610-1673), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1668 to 1670. He played a significant role in the city's governance and infrastructure development during his tenure.

Another prominent individual was Reverend William McCleary (1741-1819), a Presbyterian minister from County Antrim, Ireland. He is known for his involvement in the United Irish rebellion of 1798 and his subsequent exile to the United States, where he continued his ministerial work.

In the 19th century, the McCleary name gained recognition through the work of Archibald McCleary (1831-1901), a Scottish-born civil engineer who made significant contributions to the design and construction of railroads in India during the British Raj.

The name also appears in historical records from the United States, such as the diary of Sarah McCleary (1779-1864), a pioneer who documented her family's journey and settlement in the American West in the early 1800s.

Another notable McCleary was John McCleary (1843-1913), a Canadian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and played a role in the province's agricultural development.

While the McCleary surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Ireland, England, Canada, and the United States, where it has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCleary

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

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

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

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