McGreal last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of McGreal

Of Scottish origin, meaning "son of the big or handsome lad".

McGreal, 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 McGreal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGreal in America

McGreal is the 28940th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGreal surname appeared 821 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 McGreal.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGreal 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank2894029840-3.06%
Count8217439.97%
Proportion per 100k0.280.280.00%

The history of the last name McGreal

The surname MCGREAL is of Irish origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name 'Mac Gríobhtha', which means 'son of the griffin'. The name is believed to have originated in County Mayo, in the west of Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Lough Cé, a 17th-century manuscript that chronicles events in Ireland from the 12th to the 17th centuries. The name is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official records from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.

In the 16th century, the name was often spelled as 'McGrail' or 'McGrael', reflecting the local pronunciation and spelling variations of the time. The name is also closely related to the Irish surname 'McGreal', which shares a similar origin and meaning.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname MCGREAL was Conor McGreal, a 16th-century landowner from County Mayo. He is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history.

Another notable figure with the surname MCGREAL was Pádraig McGreal (1865-1936), an Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party. He served as a Member of Parliament for the North Leitrim constituency from 1900 to 1918.

In the 18th century, James McGreal (1717-1789) was a renowned Irish poet and songwriter from County Sligo. His works were widely popular and celebrated the natural beauty of the Irish landscape.

The name MCGREAL also has connections to the Irish diaspora. Michael McGreal (1807-1868) was an Irish-born Catholic priest who emigrated to the United States and served as the first Bishop of Richmond, Virginia, from 1841 to 1868.

In the 20th century, Seán McGreal (1904-1981) was a prominent Irish journalist and author. He worked for several Irish newspapers and wrote several books on Irish history and politics.

While the name MCGREAL is predominantly found in Ireland, it has also been carried by individuals of Irish descent in other parts of the world, reflecting the widespread migration of Irish people throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGreal

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

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 McGreal was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only96.47%792
Non-Hispanic Black Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races0.73%6
Hispanic Origin2.44%20

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

20102000Change (%)
White96.47%97.98%-1.55%
Black0.00%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%0.00%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%0.00%(S)%
Two or More Races0.73%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic2.44%1.48%48.98%

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

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

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