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

McGee, 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 McGee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGee in America

McGee is the 439th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGee surname appeared 74,542 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 25 people would have the surname McGee.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGee 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 McGee

The surname McGee has its origins in the Gaelic language of Ireland. It is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Mac Gedhaigh, which means "son of Gedhaigh". The name Gedhaigh is derived from the word "gedh", meaning "wild goose".

The McGee surname is believed to have emerged in the early medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century. It was first recorded in County Fermanagh, in the northern part of Ireland, where the name is most prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McGee surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Gilla-Pádraig Mac Gedhaigh" in the year 1162.

In the 16th century, the McGee family held lands in County Fermanagh and played a prominent role in the local politics and conflicts of the region. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "McGee", "McGhee", or "Magee".

A notable figure from this era was Cormac McGee, a chieftain who fought against the English forces during the Nine Years' War (1594-1603). He was killed in battle in 1600.

In the 17th century, many McGees were among the Irish emigrants who fled to continental Europe during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Some settled in Spain, France, and other European countries, where their name was often Hispanicized as "Maguez" or "Maguay".

One of the most famous bearers of the McGee surname was William McGee (1766-1832), an Irish-born soldier and explorer who served in the British Army and participated in several important expeditions in Australia and the Pacific region.

Another notable McGee was Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1825-1868), an Irish-Canadian journalist, politician, and one of the Fathers of Confederation in Canada. He was assassinated in 1868, allegedly for his role in the Canadian Confederation.

In the 19th century, many McGees emigrated from Ireland to the United States and other parts of the English-speaking world, contributing to the widespread distribution of the surname today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGee

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

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

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

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