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

McConnell, 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 McConnell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McConnell in America

McConnell is the 872nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McConnell surname appeared 39,754 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 McConnell.

We can also compare 2010 data for McConnell 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 McConnell

The surname McConnell is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Dhomhnaill, meaning "son of Donald". It is a patronymic name, which means it originated from a personal name of an ancestor. The name Donald itself comes from the Old Irish name Domhnall, which means "world ruler" or "world mighty".

The McConnell surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the Hebrides islands of Scotland. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in 1292, when John McConnell was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a historical record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

During the Middle Ages, the McConnell clan held lands in Argyll and the Isles, and they were known for their seafaring and maritime traditions. The clan was also involved in clan conflicts and battles, such as the Battle of Glenlivet in 1594, where they fought alongside the Gordons against the Earls of Huntly and Errol.

In the 16th century, the McConnells were among the first Scots to settle in the Ulster Plantation in Ireland, where they established a strong presence in County Antrim and County Down. This led to the formation of a distinct Irish branch of the family.

Notable individuals with the McConnell surname include:

1. John McConnell (1768-1835), an Irish-born American merchant and founder of McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania.
2. Robert McConnell (1829-1909), an Irish-born American businessman and co-founder of the Avery Dennison Corporation.
3. Mitch McConnell (born 1942), an American politician and the current Senate Minority Leader.
4. Malcolm McConnell (1888-1962), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist, who co-founded the McConnell Foundation in Canada.
5. Gwen McConnell (1886-1961), a Scottish-born Australian artist and painter known for her landscape and portrait works.

The McConnell surname has also been associated with various place names, such as McConnellsburg in Pennsylvania, McConnellsville in Ohio, and McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, named after brothers Fred and Thomas McConnell, who were aviation pioneers in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McConnell

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

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

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

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