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

McCovey, 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 McCovey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCovey in America

McCovey is the 74608th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCovey surname appeared 259 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McCovey.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCovey 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 McCovey

The surname McCovey originated in Scotland, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "cumhaidh," which translates to "peaceful" or "quiet." This suggests the name may have originally referred to the son of a man with a calm or tranquil demeanor.

Variations of the spelling include McCovey, McCouie, and McCowie, all of which can be found in historical documents from various regions of Scotland. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Ayr Parish Register of 1604, where a John McCovey was listed as a resident.

In the 17th century, the McCoveys were prominent landowners in the Scottish counties of Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. A notable figure from this period was Robert McCovey (1635-1701), a wealthy merchant and landowner in the town of Kilwinning, Ayrshire.

As the Scottish diaspora spread throughout the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries, the McCovey name began to appear in various parts of the world. James McCovey (1756-1828), a soldier in the British Army, was among the earliest bearers of the name to settle in North America, having fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Another historically significant figure was Alexander McCovey (1819-1892), a Scottish-born engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of several major railroads in the United States, including the Union Pacific Railroad.

In the 20th century, the name gained recognition through the achievements of baseball player Willie McCovey (1938-2018), a Hall of Famer who spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants. His impressive batting records and contributions to the sport have made him one of the most famous individuals to carry the McCovey surname.

Other notable McCoveys include:

1. John McCovey (1917-2003), a British World War II veteran and recipient of the Military Cross for his bravery.

2. Sarah McCovey (1888-1976), a prominent suffragette and women's rights activist in New Zealand.

3. Michael McCovey (born 1952), a celebrated American artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings.

4. Eileen McCovey (1921-2008), an Australian author and poet who wrote several acclaimed works exploring her Scottish heritage.

5. David McCovey (born 1967), a Scottish entrepreneur and co-founder of a successful technology startup in Silicon Valley.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCovey

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

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

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

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