McGlory last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of McGlory

A surname derived from the Gaelic "mac Glóir" meaning "son of the bright or famous one".

McGlory, 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 McGlory surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGlory in America

McGlory is the 35294th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGlory surname appeared 638 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 McGlory.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGlory 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 35294 35522 -0.64%
Count 638 599 6.31%
Proportion per 100k 0.22 0.22 0.00%

The history of the last name McGlory

The surname McGlory originated from the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "gloir" meaning "glory" or "renowned." The name likely referred to an illustrious ancestor or someone who achieved great renown during their lifetime.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1586, when a William McGlory was mentioned in the Parish Registers of Inverness-shire. It is believed that the McGlorys were initially based in the regions around Loch Lochy and the Great Glen, areas historically associated with Clan Chattan and its allied families.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various Scottish records, including the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, which mentions a John McGlory in 1637. During this period, the spelling of the name varied, with forms such as McGlorye and McGlorie appearing in different documents.

One notable figure bearing the McGlory name was Sir James McGlory (1685-1756), a Scottish soldier and landowner who served in the British Army during the War of the Spanish Succession. He later became a prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment circles, associating with intellectuals like David Hume and Adam Smith.

Another individual of note was Reverend William McGlory (1732-1809), a Presbyterian minister from Galloway who was known for his fiery sermons and his support for the American Revolution. He is believed to have influenced several Scottish emigrants to join the revolutionary cause in the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, the McGlorys began to spread beyond Scotland, with many members of the family emigrating to North America and other parts of the British Empire. One such individual was Alexander McGlory (1812-1892), a Scottish-born engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The surname McGlory has also been historically associated with certain place names in Scotland, such as Glenglory and Strath Glorie, which may have been derived from the name itself or contributed to its formation.

Overall, the surname McGlory has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands, with its meaning reflecting a sense of renown and glory. While not a particularly common name, it has produced several notable figures throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGlory

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

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 McGlory was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 21.47% 137
Non-Hispanic Black Only 68.18% 435
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.10% 7
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.86% 31
Hispanic Origin 4.39% 28

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 McGlory has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 21.47% 23.37% -8.47%
Black 68.18% 73.29% -7.22%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.10% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 4.86% 2.17% 76.53%
Hispanic 4.39% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"McGlory last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/mcglory-surname-popularity/.

"McGlory last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/mcglory-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

McGlory last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/mcglory-surname-popularity/.

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