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

McKim, 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 McKim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKim in America

McKim is the 8669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKim surname appeared 3,790 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McKim.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKim 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 McKim

The surname MCKIM has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is a Scottish patronymic name derived from the Gaelic personal name "Kim," which itself is a variant of the more common "Calum" or "Colm," meaning "dove."

The earliest recorded instances of the name MCKIM can be found in various Scottish charters and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is a mention of "Gillebertus McKym" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1288.

The name MCKIM was particularly prevalent in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, where many families bearing this surname were landowners and farmers. The name was also found in other parts of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands.

One of the earliest known bearers of the MCKIM surname was Sir John McKym, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another notable figure was William McKym, a Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh who lived in the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the spelling of the name underwent various changes, with variants such as "McKim," "McKym," and "McKyme" appearing in historical records. One prominent individual from this period was Alexander McKym, a Scottish clergyman and author who served as the minister of Dunscore Parish in Dumfriesshire from 1590 to 1622.

As the MCKIM family spread across Scotland and beyond, the name was also found in various place names, such as McKim's Hill in Renfrewshire and McKim's Muir in Ayrshire. These place names likely derived from the presence of MCKIM families in those areas.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the MCKIM surname gained prominence in various fields. Robert McKim (1770-1848) was a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent figure in the early American iron industry. James McKim (1744-1832) was a Scottish-born merchant and businessman who played a significant role in the early development of Baltimore, Maryland.

Other notable individuals include Samuel McKim (1776-1838), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Isaac McKim (1775-1838), an American merchant and abolitionist who was actively involved in the Underground Railroad.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKim

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

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

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

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