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

McElwee, 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 McElwee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McElwee in America

McElwee is the 9074th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McElwee surname appeared 3,602 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 McElwee.

We can also compare 2010 data for McElwee 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 McElwee

The surname MCELWEE is believed to have originated in Scotland, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gillie Odhrain," which means "the servant of Oran." Oran was a popular saint in Scotland during the 6th century.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the "Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland" in 1538, where it appears as "McIllewray." Other early spellings include McIlwrayth, McIlwrath, and McIlwraith, all of which are variations of the original Gaelic name.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the MCELWEE surname was John McIlwraith, who was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, around 1650. He is mentioned in the "Register of the Privy Council of Scotland" in 1677 for his involvement in a dispute over land.

Another notable figure was Thomas McIlwraith, a Scottish philosopher and writer born in Glasgow in 1824. He was the author of several books, including "The Life and Writings of John Milton" (1860) and "The Autobiography of a Scotsman" (1867).

In the 19th century, the MCELWEE surname began to appear more frequently in historical records, particularly in Scotland and Northern Ireland. One notable individual from this period was Sir William McIlwraith, who was born in Ayr, Scotland, in 1834. He later became a prominent politician and businessman in Queensland, Australia, serving as the Premier of Queensland from 1879 to 1881.

Another significant figure was Robert McIlwraith, a Scottish-born Australian ornithologist and surgeon who lived from 1859 to 1949. He made significant contributions to the study of Australian birds and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MCELWEE surname in the United States can be traced back to John McIlwee, who was born in Ireland around 1745. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 18th century and served in the American Revolutionary War.

While the MCELWEE surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, including politics, literature, science, and military service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McElwee

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

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

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

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