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

McDermott, 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 McDermott surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McDermott in America

McDermott is the 1151st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McDermott surname appeared 30,528 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname McDermott.

We can also compare 2010 data for McDermott 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 McDermott

The surname McDermott is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name Mac Diarmada, meaning "son of Diarmaid." Diarmaid was a personal name derived from the Old Irish words "diar," meaning "free," and "maid," meaning "lord" or "chief." The name is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in the Irish counties of Roscommon and Sligo.

The McDermott family was a prominent clan in the region of Connacht, particularly in the area now known as County Roscommon. One of the earliest recorded references to the name is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The Annals mention several members of the McDermott clan, including Tomaltach Mac Diarmada, who was chief of the clan in the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the McDermott clan was among the Irish families who resisted the Norman invasion and continued to hold significant territory in Connacht. During this period, the name appeared in various forms, such as Mac Diarmata and MacDermot, reflecting the changing spelling conventions of the time.

One of the most notable figures in the history of the McDermott name was Conor McDermott, who was the last chief of the clan in the 16th century. He fought against the English forces during the Nine Years' War (1594-1603) and was eventually forced to surrender his lands in the early 17th century as part of the Plantation of Ulster.

Other notable individuals with the McDermott surname include:

1. Brian McDermott (1949-), an English former professional footballer and manager.
2. John McDermott (1891-1957), an American baseball player and manager.
3. Seán McDermott (1904-1966), an Irish republican and member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
4. Terry McDermott (1951-), an English former professional footballer and manager.
5. William McDermott (1832-1886), an Irish-American inventor and entrepreneur who co-founded the McDermott Shipyard in New Jersey.

While the McDermott name has evolved over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic culture of Ireland and the McDermott clan's historical prominence in the region of Connacht.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McDermott

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

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

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

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