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

McIver, 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 McIver surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McIver in America

McIver is the 6258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McIver surname appeared 5,457 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McIver.

We can also compare 2010 data for McIver 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 McIver

The surname McIver is of Scottish origin and dates back to the early 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac Iomhair, meaning "son of Ivor" or "son of Ivor the brown". The name Ivor is itself derived from the Old Norse name Ivarr, which means "archer" or "bowman".

The McIver surname is most closely associated with the Scottish Highlands, particularly the areas of Argyll and the Isles. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists landowners in Scotland who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Scottish Wars of Independence.

In the 14th century, a branch of the McIver clan settled on the island of Islay, where they became prominent landowners and warriors. The Clan McIver was closely allied with the powerful Clan Donald, and they played a significant role in many of the inter-clan conflicts that plagued the Scottish Highlands during this period.

One of the earliest recorded McIvers was Gillespie McIver, who was born around 1350 and served as a loyal retainer to the Lord of the Isles. In the 15th century, Angus McIver was a renowned warrior who fought alongside the Clan Donald against the Scottish Crown during the Battle of Harlaw in 1411.

In the 16th century, the surname McIver began to spread beyond the Scottish Highlands. John McIver, born in 1512, was a prominent merchant in Aberdeen who traded with the Netherlands and other European countries. Another notable McIver from this period was Dugald McIver, a Scottish scholar and poet who was born in 1560 and studied at the University of Glasgow.

As the centuries passed, the McIver surname continued to be associated with Scottish history and culture. In the 18th century, Alasdair McIver was a renowned piper and composer who served as the personal piper to the Chief of the Clan MacLeod. In the 19th century, Iain McIver was a celebrated Gaelic poet and bard who was born on the Isle of Islay in 1825.

Throughout history, the surname McIver has been spelled in various ways, including McIvor, McIver, McKeever, and McEever, reflecting the varied pronunciation and spelling conventions of different regions. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained constant, rooted in the ancient Celtic and Norse traditions of Scotland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McIver

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

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

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

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