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

McElhinney, 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 McElhinney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McElhinney in America

McElhinney is the 24446th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McElhinney surname appeared 1,024 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 McElhinney.

We can also compare 2010 data for McElhinney 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 McElhinney

The surname MCELHINNEY is of Scottish origin, emerging from the historical region of Galloway in southwestern Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is a territorial name, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Illeathain," meaning "son of the servant of St. John." This suggests the name's bearers may have been associated with a church or monastery dedicated to St. John.

The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the 16th century, with variations in spelling such as McElhinney, McIlhinney, and McIlhenney. These spelling differences likely arose due to the inconsistencies in transcribing Gaelic names into English during that time period.

One notable bearer of the name was John McIlhinney, a Scottish merchant and shipowner from Stranraer, Wigtownshire, who lived from 1775 to 1842. He played a significant role in the development of trade and commerce in the region.

Another individual of note was William McIlhenney, born in 1810 in Ayrshire, Scotland. He emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and became a successful businessman in Philadelphia, establishing the McIlhenney Company, which produced the famous Tabasco sauce.

In the early 20th century, John McElhinney (1876-1938) was a prominent Irish nationalist and politician who served as a member of the Irish Republican Army and later as a member of the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) for the Sinn Féin party.

The name MCELHINNEY has also been associated with notable figures in the fields of education and literature. For example, Dr. James McElhinney (1869-1949) was a distinguished Scottish educator and author who served as the principal of Aberdeen Grammar School and wrote several books on education and philosophy.

Another bearer of the name was the Scottish novelist and short story writer, Helen McElhinney (1910-1991), whose works explored themes of Scottish identity and the experiences of women in rural communities.

While the name MCELHINNEY has roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, where bearers of the name have made significant contributions across various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McElhinney

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

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

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

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