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

McElrath, 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 McElrath surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McElrath in America

McElrath is the 10326th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McElrath surname appeared 3,120 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 McElrath.

We can also compare 2010 data for McElrath 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 McElrath

The surname McElrath has its origins in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning son and "gilleraith" which is a personal name. Originally, it was spelled as MacGilleraith or MacIlleraith.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were written statements of fealty to Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name appears as MacIlleraith. This suggests that the family was present in Scotland during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

The McElrath name is closely associated with the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire in the southwest of Scotland. It is believed that the family may have had ties to the powerful Clan Douglas, which ruled over these areas for several centuries.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form, McElrath. One of the earliest recorded examples of this spelling can be found in the parish records of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, where a John McElrath was baptized in 1638.

A prominent figure in Scottish history who bore the McElrath name was Robert McElrath (1677-1754), a Presbyterian minister who played a significant role in the Secession Church movement. He was instrumental in establishing the Associate Presbytery in 1733, which later became the United Presbyterian Church.

Another notable McElrath was Alexander McElrath (1782-1860), a Scottish-born farmer and businessman who emigrated to Ontario, Canada in the early 19th century. He was one of the pioneers of the settlement of Aldborough Township and was instrumental in establishing the local Presbyterian church.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the McElrath name can be found in the records of the Scots-Irish immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and Virginia in the 18th century. One such individual was James McElrath (1740-1820), a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania.

Another prominent American McElrath was John McElrath (1805-1876), a successful businessman and politician from Ohio. He served as a member of the Ohio State Senate and was involved in the construction of several railroads and canals in the state.

The McElrath name has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as McElrath Hill in Ayrshire and McElrath Farm in Lanarkshire. These places may have been named after members of the McElrath family who owned or lived on the land.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McElrath

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

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

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

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