2000
#9,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,981
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Mcelrath
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Raith," meaning "son of the servant of grace" or "son of the graceful one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,480 Americans carry the last name Mcelrath. That puts it at #10,121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,493 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcelrath surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,493
Census rank
#10,121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,035 bearers of the surname Mcelrath in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcelrath
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcelrath bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mcelrath surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.2% · 1,644
- Black or African American36.7% · 1,113
- Two or more races5.4% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcelrath
Mcelrath appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,120
+139 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 342 places
2020
#10,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,035
-85 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,984 | 2,981 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,326 | 3,120 | 1.06 | +139 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 342 places |
| 2020 | #10,121 | 3,035 | 1.02 | -85 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 205 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mcelrath surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,326 | #10,121 | 2.0% |
| Count | 3,120 | 3,035 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.02 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcelrath bearers went from 3,120 to 3,035 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 205 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,326 to #10,121.
FAQ
Mcelrath surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcelrath?
Name Census estimates that about 3,480 living Americans carry the surname Mcelrath. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,493 residents.
How common is Mcelrath?
Mcelrath ranks #10,121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,035 people with the surname Mcelrath. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcelrath.
Has Mcelrath become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcelrath went from 3,120 recorded bearers to 3,035. That is a decrease of 85 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,326 to #10,121.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcelrath?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcelrath in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (1,644 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcelrath appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.2%), Black (36.7%), Two or More Races (5.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mcelrath (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mcelrath mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Raith," meaning "son of the servant of grace" or "son of the graceful one." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mcelrath (1.02 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Mcelrath?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.