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

McCreery, 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 McCreery surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCreery in America

McCreery is the 12496th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCreery surname appeared 2,481 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 McCreery.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCreery 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 McCreery

The surname McCreery originates from Scotland, emerging in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac," meaning "son," and "riabhach," meaning "brindled" or "grizzled," referring to someone with grayish or mixed-colored hair.

McCreery is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname MacRae or MacRory. The name first appeared in historical records in the early 13th century, with references to individuals bearing the name in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264 onwards.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments of homage to Edward I of England, which includes the name "Gillecrist MacRory." This suggests that the surname was already well-established in Scotland by the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the McCreery clan was concentrated in the Highlands, particularly in the regions of Ross-shire and Inverness-shire. The name is associated with the MacRae clan, and some McCreerys may have been a sept or branch of the larger MacRae clan.

Notable individuals with the surname McCreery include:

1. John McCreery (1768-1832), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner in Virginia, United States.
2. David McCreery (1845-1923), an Irish-born American Presbyterian minister and educator.
3. Frank McCreery (1873-1945), a Scottish-born Australian politician and member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
4. Sir Richard McCreery (1898-1967), a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army during World War II.
5. John McCreery (born 1931), an American anthropologist and expert on Japanese society and culture.

While the surname McCreery is not as common as its variants, it has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands and has been carried by individuals across various fields and regions throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCreery

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

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

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

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