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

McCorkle, 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 McCorkle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCorkle in America

McCorkle is the 4154th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCorkle surname appeared 8,529 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname McCorkle.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCorkle 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 McCorkle

The surname McCorkle is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Thorcaill" meaning "son of Thorcall." Thorcall was a personal name derived from the Old Norse "Thorkill," composed of the elements "thor" meaning thunder and "kill" meaning crevice or stream. The surname first appeared in the Scottish Isles and Highlands during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1541, where a John McCorkle is mentioned as a resident of Ayrshire. In the 16th century, the McCorkles were prominent landowners in Galloway, with several branches established in the counties of Kirkcudbright and Wigtown.

During the 17th century, the McCorkles played a significant role in the Scottish Covenanting movement, which sought to uphold Presbyterian values against the efforts of the Stuart monarchs to introduce Episcopalian reforms. Notable figures from this period include Reverend John McCorkle (1623-1688), a leading Covenanter minister who was briefly imprisoned for his beliefs.

As the McCorkles prospered in the following centuries, they spread throughout Scotland and beyond. One notable individual was Sir Adam McCorkle (1734-1811), a Scottish entrepreneur who made his fortune in the West Indies sugar trade. In the 19th century, Robert McCorkle (1798-1872) was a respected clergyman and educator who served as the first president of Davidson College in North Carolina.

Other prominent McCorkles include James McCorkle (1856-1923), a Scottish-American businessman who founded the McCorkle Nurseries in Missouri, and Brigadier General William McCorkle (1886-1971), a highly decorated officer in the United States Army who served in both World Wars.

The McCorkle name has also been associated with various places, such as McCorkle Creek in North Carolina and the McCorkle Plantation in South Carolina, reflecting the family's historical presence and influence in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCorkle

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

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

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

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