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

McGray, 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 McGray surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGray in America

McGray is the 45026th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGray surname appeared 476 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 McGray.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGray 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 McGray

The surname MCGRAY is of Scottish origin, originating in the medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic phrase "mac raith," which means "son of grace" or "son of good fortune." This name likely referred to someone who was considered fortunate or blessed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MCGRAY appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage pledges sworn to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The name is listed as "Macgray" in these records, indicating an early spelling variation.

In the 16th century, the MCGRAY surname was particularly concentrated in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire in southwestern Scotland. Historical records from this period, such as parish registers and legal documents, show various spellings including "McGray," "McGrey," and "McGrea."

A notable bearer of the MCGRAY surname was Sir James McGray (1570-1638), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1629 to 1635. He was involved in the prosecution of several high-profile cases during the reign of King Charles I.

Another prominent figure was Robert McGray (1788-1857), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician. He established a successful shipping company and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada (now Ontario) from 1836 to 1841.

In the United States, one of the earliest MCGRAY families settled in Virginia in the late 17th century. John McGray (1662-1738), a Scottish immigrant, became a prominent landowner and farmer in the colony.

Other notable individuals with the MCGRAY surname include:

1. William McGray (1802-1879), a Scottish-born Australian businessman and politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
2. Mary Ann McGray (1821-1899), an American author and educator who wrote several books on etiquette and social behavior.
3. John McGray (1855-1923), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.
4. Archibald McGray (1876-1944), a Scottish-born Australian journalist and editor who worked for several major newspapers in Sydney.

While the MCGRAY surname is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history spanning multiple centuries and countries, reflecting the mobility and achievements of its bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGray

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

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

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

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