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

McHenry, 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 McHenry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McHenry in America

McHenry is the 3082nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McHenry surname appeared 11,660 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname McHenry.

We can also compare 2010 data for McHenry 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 McHenry

The surname McHenry originates from Scotland and Ireland, with origins dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Endric, meaning "son of Hendry" or "son of Henry." The prefix "Mac" indicates a patronymic name, signifying the name was originally formed from the given name of an ancestor.

McHenry is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname MacHendry or MacHendrie. The name is found in early records from the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire in the western Lowlands of Scotland. It is also prevalent in parts of Ulster, particularly County Antrim, where Scottish settlers brought the name during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls recording those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Gillemichel McHendry" is listed among the nobles from the county of Ayr.

Another notable early reference is found in the Black Book of Taymouth, a 16th-century manuscript containing records of land charters and family histories from Perthshire. The book mentions a "John McHendry," a tenant farmer on the lands of the Campbell earls of Breadalbane.

A prominent figure bearing the name was Sir John McHenry (1592-1652), a Scottish military commander who served as Governor of Derry during the Irish Confederate Wars. He played a crucial role in defending the city against the besieging Irish Catholic forces during the Siege of Derry in 1649.

Another notable McHenry was James McHenry (1753-1816), an American politician and soldier. He served as a secretary to George Washington during the Revolutionary War and later became the third United States Secretary of War under President John Adams.

In the literary world, the Scottish writer William McHenry (1853-1932) gained recognition for his works depicting life in rural Scotland, including the novel "Thrawn Janet" and short story collection "The Hedger."

Robert McHenry (1923-2007) was an American editor and author best known for his role as the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopaedia Britannica from 1967 to 1997, overseeing a major overhaul and modernization of the prestigious reference work.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McHenry

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

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

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

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