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

McFail, 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 McFail surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McFail in America

McFail is the 69793rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McFail surname appeared 281 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McFail.

We can also compare 2010 data for McFail 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 McFail

The surname McFail has its origins in Scotland, emerging during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "fáil" meaning "failure" or "disappointment." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive name to an individual who was perceived as a failure or disappointment in some way.

The earliest recorded instance of the name McFail can be traced back to the 14th century in the Scottish Lowlands. It is believed that the name was initially concentrated in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, where Gaelic was spoken and where the name's meaning would have been understood.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname was John McFail, who was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1374. This historical record suggests that the name had already established itself in Scotland by that time.

In the 16th century, the McFail name appeared in the records of the parish of Kilwinning in Ayrshire. This indicates that the family had established roots in that area, and the name was likely associated with a specific locality or landholding.

Notable individuals bearing the McFail surname include:

1. Robert McFail (1745-1820), a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the development of the town of Greenock.
2. James McFail (1786-1859), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
3. William McFail (1857-1932), a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
4. Mary McFail (1878-1958), a Scottish suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reforms.
5. Donald McFail (1911-1998), a Scottish-born American writer and journalist who worked for various newspapers and magazines.

While the McFail surname may have initially carried a negative connotation, it has been borne by many individuals throughout history who have achieved success and made significant contributions to their communities and societies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McFail

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!