2000
#8,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,520
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Mcelwee
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Buidhe," meaning "son of the yellow-haired servant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,025 Americans carry the last name Mcelwee. That puts it at #8,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,156 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcelwee 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mcelwee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,156
Census rank
#8,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,510 bearers of the surname Mcelwee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelwee, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcelwee
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelwee, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcelwee 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 Mcelwee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 2,903
- Black or African American9.5% · 332
- Two or more races3.5% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcelwee
Mcelwee 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
#9,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,602
+82 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 471 places
2020
#8,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,510
-92 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,603 | 3,520 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,074 | 3,602 | 1.22 | +82 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 471 places |
| 2020 | #8,946 | 3,510 | 1.17 | -92 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 128 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 Mcelwee 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 | #9,074 | #8,946 | 1.4% |
| Count | 3,602 | 3,510 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.17 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcelwee bearers went from 3,602 to 3,510 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,074 to #8,946.
FAQ
Mcelwee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcelwee?
Name Census estimates that about 4,025 living Americans carry the surname Mcelwee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,156 residents.
How common is Mcelwee?
Mcelwee ranks #8,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,510 people with the surname Mcelwee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,025), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Mcelwee.
Has Mcelwee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcelwee went from 3,602 recorded bearers to 3,510. That is a decrease of 92 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,074 to #8,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcelwee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelwee, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mcelwee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (2,903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcelwee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (9.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Mcelwee (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 Mcelwee mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Buidhe," meaning "son of the yellow-haired servant." 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 Mcelwee (1.17 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 Americans have the surname Mcelwee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.