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

McElroy, 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 McElroy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McElroy in America

McElroy is the 1446th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McElroy surname appeared 24,668 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname McElroy.

We can also compare 2010 data for McElroy 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 McElroy

The surname McElroy originated in Scotland, derived from the Gaelic "Mac Gille Ruaidh," meaning "son of the red-haired lad." It is believed to have first appeared in the 12th or 13th century in the regions of Argyll and Ayr.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1390, which mention a "John McElroy." The name also appears in the Black Book of Taymouth, a 16th-century manuscript detailing land grants and disputes in the area of Perthshire.

The McElroys were a prominent clan in Galloway and Ayrshire, with their ancestral lands located near the town of Kilwinning. The name is closely associated with the Isle of Arran, where several branches of the clan settled.

Notable individuals with the surname McElroy include:

1. James McElroy (1787-1847), an Irish-American trader and explorer who was one of the first Europeans to visit the Rocky Mountains.
2. Joseph McElroy (1930-2022), an American novelist and writer, best known for his acclaimed novel "Ancient History: A Paraphase."
3. Mary McElroy (1841-1917), an Irish-American labor organizer and advocate for women's rights, often referred to as the "Irish Queen of the Prairies."
4. Robert McElroy (1600-1670), a Scottish clergyman and philosopher who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow.
5. William McElroy (1917-1999), an American biochemist and Nobel Prize winner for his research on the chemical mechanisms of bioluminescence.

Variations in the spelling of the name include MacElroy, McIlroy, and McIlroie, among others. Place names such as Kilmarnock and Kilwinning, both in Ayrshire, Scotland, are also associated with the McElroy clan and may have influenced the surname's origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McElroy

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

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

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

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