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

McEady, 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 McEady surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McEady in America

McEady is the 97671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McEady surname appeared 186 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 McEady.

We can also compare 2010 data for McEady 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 McEady

The surname MCEADY is of Irish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "Mac Eadaidh" which means "son of Eadaidh". Eadaidh is an old Irish personal name meaning "wealthy" or "prosperous".

The name was first found in County Mayo, Ireland where they were a prominent family descended from the ancient Kings of Connacht. One of the earliest records of the name is in the Annals of the Four Masters from the 13th century which mentions a member of the MCEADY clan.

In the 16th century, the MCEADY clan was part of the Irish nobility and held lands in County Mayo. During the English Tudor conquest of Ireland, many of the MCEADY lands were confiscated by the English Crown.

An early example of the name in written form is John McEadye who was recorded in the Hearth Money Rolls of County Mayo in 1665. Another early record is Michael McEady, born in 1673 in Ballina, County Mayo.

Notable members of the MCEADY family throughout history include Brian MCEADY (1785-1864) who was a prominent Catholic priest and educator in County Mayo. Michael MCEADY (1812-1889) was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and took part in the Irish Rebellion of 1867.

Mary MCEADY (1842-1912) was a folk singer and musician from County Mayo who helped preserve traditional Irish music and songs. Patrick MCEADY (1870-1938) was a successful businessman who founded the MCEADY Woolen Mills in Westport, County Mayo which employed hundreds of workers.

Thomas MCEADY (1902-1977) was a respected Irish scholar and historian who wrote extensively on Irish genealogy and the origins of Irish surnames and place names, including his own family name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McEady

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

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

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

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