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

McCourt, 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 McCourt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCourt in America

McCourt is the 7868th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCourt surname appeared 4,206 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 McCourt.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCourt 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 McCourt

The surname McCourt is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Mac Cuarta, which translates to "son of Cuarta." The name Cuarta is thought to have been a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "cuarta," meaning "skilled" or "dexterous."

The McCourt surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Ulster and Connacht. It is believed to have originated among the Uí Briúin dynasty, a powerful family that ruled over regions of Connacht and Ulster during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McCourt name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1201, the Annals mention a "Gillacuarta Mac Cuarta" as a participant in a battle between rival Irish clans.

In the 16th century, the McCourt surname is found in various Irish records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were administrative documents issued by the English Crown in Ireland. One notable McCourt mentioned in these records is Dermot McCourt, who received a pardon from Queen Elizabeth I in 1592.

During the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century, many McCourts were displaced from their ancestral lands and scattered throughout Ireland and beyond. Some McCourts immigrated to the American colonies, with records showing McCourts settling in Pennsylvania and Virginia as early as the late 1700s.

Historically, the McCourt surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Turlough McCourt (c. 1550-1624), an Irish chieftain and leader of the McCourt clan in County Antrim. Another prominent figure was Reverend James McCourt (1680-1753), a Presbyterian minister and co-founder of the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University.

In more recent times, Frank McCourt (1930-2009) gained worldwide recognition for his memoir "Angela's Ashes," which chronicled his impoverished childhood in Limerick, Ireland. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1997.

Other notable McCourts throughout history include John McCourt (1768-1853), an Irish-American soldier who served in the Revolutionary War, and Michael McCourt (1914-1998), an Irish playwright and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCourt

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

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

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

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