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

McDavid, 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 McDavid surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McDavid in America

McDavid is the 10413th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McDavid surname appeared 3,092 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 McDavid.

We can also compare 2010 data for McDavid 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 McDavid

The surname McDavid is of Scottish origin, originating in the Highlands region of Scotland. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the given name David combined with the prefix 'Mc' or 'Mac', which means 'son of' in Gaelic.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, dated 1546, which mentions a 'Johnne McDavid'. This suggests that the surname was already well-established in Scotland by the mid-16th century.

The name McDavid is thought to have originated in the area around Loch Lomond, where the clan Davidson, from which the name likely derives, had strong historical ties. The name may also be related to the place name Davidston, a small village in Ayrshire, Scotland.

In the 17th century, the McDavid surname appears in various Scottish records, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1691, which list several McDavid families in the counties of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire.

One notable figure in Scottish history was Sir John McDavid, a prominent lawyer and politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1677 to 1688. He played a significant role in the political and legal affairs of the country during the turbulent period of the Glorious Revolution.

Another individual of note was William McDavid (1763-1841), a Scottish poet and writer who was born in Inveraray, Argyll. He is best known for his collection of poems titled "The Peasant's Lyre," which celebrated the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the lives of its rural inhabitants.

In the 19th century, the McDavid surname spread beyond Scotland as families emigrated to other parts of the British Empire and the United States. One such individual was Alexander McDavid (1835-1915), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament for the riding of Winnipeg from 1887 to 1896.

Another notable figure was John McDavid (1870-1938), an Australian cricketer who played for the Australian national team in the late 19th century. He was a talented all-rounder and is remembered for his outstanding performances against England in the 1894-95 Ashes series.

In the 20th century, the McDavid surname continued to be represented in various fields. One example is Jack McDavid (1912-1995), an American football player who was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1930s and later became a successful businessman and philanthropist.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McDavid

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

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

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

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