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

McKew, 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 McKew surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKew in America

McKew is the 113791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKew surname appeared 154 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 McKew.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKew 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 McKew

The surname MCKEW originates from Scotland, emerging in the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "cù" meaning "hound" or "dog," suggesting a connection to a person or family who had a significant involvement with hunting or keeping hunting dogs.

Early records indicate that the name was predominantly found in the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides islands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Inverness-shire. The earliest known spelling variations include McKew, MacKew, and MacCuaigh.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MCKEW can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1544, where a certain "Gillecrist McKew" is mentioned as a tenant in the lands of Kilmichael Glassary in Argyllshire.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, with a reference to "Donald McKew in Kilmichael Glassary" in 1618. This suggests a strong historical presence of the MCKEW family in the Kilmichael Glassary area of Argyll.

Notable individuals bearing the MCKEW surname include:

1. John McKew (1587-1654), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Minister of Ardchattan in Argyllshire.
2. Archibald McKew (1695-1766), a Scottish landowner and laird of the McKew estate in Inverness-shire.
3. Angus McKew (1723-1789), a Scottish-born merchant and trader who settled in the British colonies of North America.
4. William McKew (1819-1892), a Scottish-born farmer and community leader in Ontario, Canada.
5. Isobel McKew (1845-1923), a Scottish author and poet known for her works depicting life in the Highlands.

While the name MCKEW is not as common as some other Scottish surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides islands, with various connections to landowners, clergymen, merchants, and literary figures over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKew

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

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

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

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